The WHO recently listed the reasons which led to the death, partly avoidable, of more than 75,000 children before their fifth anniversary in Europe in 2022.
- According to an WHO report, 75,647 children died before the age of 5 in Europe in 2022.
- Infections, complications related to premature births, asphyxiation at birth, congenital anomalies of the heart and neonatal sepsis are among the main reasons for this mortality.
- Among young people aged 15 to 29, whose mental health is worrying, suicide remains the leading cause of death.
75,647. In 2022, it was the number of children who died before the age of 5, according to a report of the World Health Organization (WHO) with 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia and published on February 25. The causes? Infections, complications related to premature births or asphyxiation at birth. Congenital anomalies of the heart and neonatal sepsis (septicemia) are also one of the main reasons for this mortality. “If the mortality rate of under five remains very low in Europe, the differences between countries are considerable. Thus, most countries of the European Union has between 1.5 and 4.1 deaths per 1,000 births, opposite Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, where this rate is between 18.2 and 40.4.”
Suicide, the first cause of death among young people aged 15 to 29
As part of this study, the health authority has also highlighted concerns among adolescents, whose cyberbulling which affects 15 % of them and tobacco consumption which concerns 10 % of young people. In addition, one in five teenagers suffers from a mental disorder. Suicide remains the first cause of death in young people aged 15 to 29, girls systematically signaling a level of mental well-being lower than that of boys. “In our online and interconnected world, our young people paradoxically feel more alone than ever. Many of them are in trouble in the face of their weight and their self -confidence, which exposes them to poor health in adulthood”, warned Hans Kluge, regional director of WHO Europe.
Premature death: cardiovascular disease and cancer pointed out
Another observation: cardiovascular diseases represent a third of premature deaths due to non -transmitted diseases. The risk is almost five times higher in Eastern Europe and Central Asia than in Western Europe. Cancer is responsible for 32 % of premature deaths throughout the European region. “In addition, the climate crisis only aggravates the burden of morbidity of chronic diseases. However, the European WHO region is that of the six regions of the agency which warms the fastest, with temperatures which increase about twice as quickly as the global average. WHO estimates the number of heat -related deaths at 175,000 each year.”
