It is hard to believe it, yet it is true: according to a recent international report, every 5 seconds, in the world, a child under the age of 15 dies. Chilling numbers.
According to new child mortality estimates released by Unicef, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Population Division and the World Bank Group, 6.3 million children under 15 died worldwide in 2017. And 85% of them were under 5 at the time of death.
Unsurprisingly and unfortunately, 50% of child deaths take place in sub-Saharan Africa: in these very disadvantaged countries, 1 in 13 children die before their fifth birthday. Then comes Southeast Asia, which accounts for 30% of juvenile deaths. According to Unicef, “a baby born in sub-Saharan Africa or South-East Asia is 9 times more likely to die within one month of birth than a baby born in a high-income country.”
The mother’s level of education, a determining factor
“Most deaths of children under 5 occur from causes that can be avoided or treated: birth complications, pneumonia, diarrhea, neonatal sepsis and malaria, among others, add the authorities. In contrast, in the 5-14 age group, more deaths occur as a result of injuries, mainly caused by drowning and traffic accidents. “
Perhaps more surprisingly, the child’s chances of survival are also linked … to the mother’s level of education. Indeed, Unicef specifies that “children whose mother has not been to school face a more than 2 times higher risk of dying before their fifth birthday than children whose mother has completed secondary or higher education. “.
Finally, a (small) piece of good news: “the number of deaths among children under 5 has decreased considerably, from 12.6 million in 1990 to 5.4 million in 2017”.
Source: Unicef press release.
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