In the 1980s, 36,000 children under five died each day from largely preventable causes. In 1990, that figure was 33,000. In 2000 it was 26,000. Last year, it was 19,000.
This dramatic drop came about through a combination of vaccination programs, nutrition programs, and better water and sanitation. But we cannot celebrate until all children can share in this progress.
It should anger us that most of these 19,000 children die daily from causes we know how to prevent. We have the products and the potential to save these lives.
13 September 2012
The UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation released the latest estimates on child mortality. Overall, substantial progress has been made towards achieving MDG 4. The number of under-five deaths worldwide has declined from nearly 12 (11.7, 12.2)1 million in 1990 to 6.9 (6.8, 7.4) million in 2011. While that translates into 14,000 fewer children dying every day in 2011 than in 1990, it still implies the deaths of 19,000 children under age five every day in 2011.
The continuation of this suffering and loss of life contravenes the natural human instinct to help in times of disaster.
Imagine the horror of the world if a major earthquake were to occur and people stood by and watched without assisting the survivors! ....
They die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world.
Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.
On 5 April, the UN and partners worldwide observed the 1,000-day mark to the 2015 target date for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs are the most successful global anti-poverty push in history. Governments, international organizations and civil society groups around the world have helped to cut in half the world's extreme poverty rate. More girls are in school. Fewer children are dying. The world continues to fight killer diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS.
There are 1,000 days to accelerate action on issues such as hunger, access to education, improved sanitation, maternal health and gender equality. Get involved and help build more #MDGmomentum!
MDGs in Action - Quick facts and success stories
View and share infographics on the 8 Millennium Development Goals
With simple solutions alongside new technologies, we can defeat the leading killers of children. We invite you to use these resources from PATH and our partners to advocate for improved child health.
We asked celebrities including Emily Blunt, Eddie Redmayne and Priyanka Chopra to watch a powerful new video. See how they reacted to people suffering from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)...Can you make it through to the end?
Most people have never heard of these seven diseases, but as you'll see on the video, NTDs can be horrific and are a major reason why poor communities stay trapped in poverty. It costs just 50 cents to treat and protect one person for an entire year. Visit http://www.end7.org/ to take action today. We would love for you to join us on the journey to 2020 -- together we can see the end!
Across the central belt of sub-Saharan Africa, community health workers (CHWs) deliver life-saving health care services where it's needed most, in poor rural communities. In this region, 10 to 20 percent of children die before reaching the age of 5. Maternal death rates are high. Many people suffer unnecessarily from preventable and treatable diseases, from malaria and diarrhea to tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Many of these residents would otherwise have little or no access to the most fundamental aspects of modern medicine. Many countries are struggling to make progress toward the health related MDGs partly because so many people are poor and live in rural areas beyond the reach of modern health care.
This encyclopaedia is an online tool that provides access to recent scientific studies on early childhood. Together, the Centro de Excelencia para el Desarrollo de la Primera Infancia (CEDPI - the Centre for Excellence in Early Childhood Development) and the Red Estratégica de Conocimientos sobre el Desarrollo de la Primera Infancia (REC-DPI - Strategic Knowledge Network on Early Childhood Development) produce the encyclopaedia, which is directed at politicians, planners, service providers, and parents.
Witness: Birth in Nepal
Nepal has some of the worst maternal death statistics in the world, with some six women dying in childbirth every day. Subina Shrestha, a Nepalese filmmaker who is herself five months pregnant, sets out to find out why so many mothers are dying in childbirth.
Witness is Al Jazeera English's flagship documentary strand, presenting two international documentaries each week which bear witness to the ordinary - and extraordinary - lives of people across the globe.
This unique observational documentary series shines a light on Indian society as it is rarely seen. In six one-hour programmes it illuminates the complexities and dilemmas of modern India through the extraordinarily varied lives of patients and medical staff working at the Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital Complex in Bangalore, India.
This series follows the daily lives of patients and staff. The hospital and its stories mirror the very essence of Indian life. In this rich, varied and confronting series, stereotypes about Indians, India and Indian medicine will all be challenged.
This is a report by Consumers International, published in 2007. (selected extracts below) Since 2007, have things improved, stayed the same, or got worse? In particular, what are governments and others doing to honour the World Health Assembly Resolution 2007 'to ban inaccurate, misleading or unethical promotion of medicines, to monitor drug promotion, and to develop and implement programmes that will provide independent, non-promotional information on medicines'?
Consumers International (CI) - 'In many developing countries, pharmaceutical companies have been accused of exploiting the lack of independent information available to medical professionals and patients. In the absence of independent sources doctors, the public and patients have to rely to a much greater extent on companies' marketing to tell them about the products that are available. When the information that is provided is misleading, biased and inaccurate it contributes to dangerous levels of mis-prescribing. Up to 50% of medicines in developing countries are inappropriately prescribed, dispensed or sold.'
'The problem is compounded when drug companies also release misleading messages and information to the public and patients. It is also estimated that 50% of patients in developing countries improperly use medicines. Such high levels of irrational use are likely to be having a disastrous impact on people's health resulting in reduced treatment efficacy and contributing to problems like drug resistance.'
'It is estimated that up to 50% of medicines in developing countries are inappropriately prescribed, dispensed or sold.'
The scheme of the [pharmaceutical] company was as follows: 'On sale of 1,000 samples of the drug, get a Motorola handset. On sale of 5,000 samples get an air cooler. On sale of 10,000 samples get a motor bike.' - Doctor from Mumbai India (2003) .... more
The manual is written for clinicians working at the district hospital (first-level referral care) who diagnose and manage sick adolescents and adults in resource constrained settings. It aims to support clinical reasoning, and to provide an effective clinical approach and protocols for the management of common and serious or potentially life-threatening conditions at district hospitals. The target audience thus includes doctors, clinical officers, health officers, and senior nurse practitioners. It has been designed to be applicable in both high and low HIV prevalence settings.
Volume 1 covers emergency triage assessment and treatment, and acute care for a severely ill or acutely injured patient for approximately the first 24 hours of care. It describes the clinical procedures commonly used in emergency and acute care, and gives a summary of the medicines used and the steps necessary for infection control.
Volume 2 provides a symptom-based approach to clinical care for acute and subacute conditions (including mental health). It provides short summaries of the management of diseases that affect multiple systems of the body, focusing on communicable diseases. It also includes the chronic or long-term management of HIV, TB, alcohol, and substance use disorders.
The rising population of young people in the developing world is the largest in history and will be for at least another 25 years. Many of these young people experience adolescence as an extended crisis that exposes them to life-changing - and sometimes life-threatening - situations. Most are not prepared for the abrupt changes that are coming. They lack information and life skills, protection and decision making power.
In some societies, girls as young as 10 years old are perceived as young women ready for marriage and childbearing, while boys of the same age have to support their families. Yet at a time when correct and gender equitable information is so important, studies show that most young adolescents lack the knowledge and skills to reduce risks associated with puberty. Therefore, young adolescents are vulnerable to sexual violence and coercion, unplanned pregnancy and early marriage.
40% of all new cases of HIV around the world are among young people aged 15-24 and some young people are already sexually active before the age of 15. Young people need to be educated about sex before they start having it so that they can protect themselves from HIV. Sexuality education must deal with risks and prevention in a culturally appropriate, age appropriate and gender sensitive manner.
Young adolescents have a right to receive the same information and access to health services as anyone else.
The biennial MDGs Gender Chart depicts the situation of women and girls in developing regions as reflected in a number of indicators that are used to monitor the MDGs. It shows that although there has been some progress in a number of the gender dimensions of the Goals, more needs to be done, in every country and at every level, to achieve the pivotal third MDG and to reduce persisting levels of inequality based on sex, wealth, location ethnicity and other markers of disadvantage.
With colourful graphs and striking statistics, this just-launched addendum to the UN Secretary General's 2012 Millennium Development Goals Report focuses specifically on Goal 3, which calls for gender equality and women's empowerment and also tracks the impact of gender equality on the achievement of each of the remaining seven MDGs.
It is being co-produced by UN Women and the UN Statistics Division for the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on MDGs Indicators.
We have the tools, we have the knowledge, and we must match them with our unshakeable commitment to save millions of lives.
In 2011, more children under the age of five died in India than anywhere else in the world. That's 1.7 million children – over 4,650 child deaths a day – according to a new report by the United Nation's Children's Fund.
Even on a per-capita basis, India does poorly. The study estimates that for every 1,000 children born in India, 61 are unlikely to make it to their fifth birthday. That rate is higher than, say, in Rwanda (54 child deaths), Nepal (48 child deaths) or Cambodia (43 child deaths).
The report showed the main causes of child deaths worldwide are pneumonia, responsible for 18% of deaths, followed by diarrhea (11% of deaths). India stands out for the prevalence of diarrhea as a killer of infants. Diarrhea was responsible for 13% of child deaths in India in 2010 – the second-highest rate after Afghanistan.
Associated with poor sanitation, malnutrition and lack of access to basic healthcare services, this is an easily preventable disease that strikes mainly the poor. Washing hands with soap, clean drinking water and putting an end to open defecation – which the report found is a major cause of diarrhea in South Asia – are easy preventative measures.
27 October, 2012 - The infant mortality rate in India has come down to 44 from 47 deaths per 1,000 live births over the last one year, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday. According to the October bulletin of the Sample Registration System (SRS) released by the Registrar General of India, the IMR for rural areas has dropped by three points from 51 to 48 infant deaths per 1000 live births while the urban rate now stands at 29 from the previous 31/1000, it said.
Registration of births and deaths is an important source for demographic data for socio-economic development and population control in developing countries. The data on population growth, fertility and mortality serves as the starting point for population projections. Apart from these vital indicators, an adequate evaluation of a number of programs in the health sector, including family planning, maternal and reproductive health, immunization programs, is dependent upon the availability of accurate, up-to-date fertility and mortality data. In India, the need for dependable demographic data was felt soon after independence heralding the era of five year planning.
3. Give Us the Money Bob Geldof, Bono and fellow activist Bill Gates speak candidly about the lobbying, strategising and back room deals involved in their near 30 years of activism against poverty… more info
4. Land Rush: How do you feed the world? In 2008 the world's food system began to fall apart. Threatened with hunger, rich countries started buying up and leasing fertile tracks of the developing world. more info
5. Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream How much inequality is too much? In New York, 740 Park Ave is home to some of the wealthiest Americans. 10 minutes to the north, over the Harlem River, is the other Park Avenue in South Bronx, where more than half the population needs food stamps and children are 20 times more likely to be killed. more info
6. Education, Education In China, where an education was once valued and thought to be a way out of poverty, it is now questionable as a route to economic security. more info
7. Welcome to the World Looks at the fact that every year 130 million babies are born, but their chances in life depend on the lottery of where, how and to whom they are born. more info
8. Poor Us: An Animated History …begins in the Neolithic Age and takes the viewer through the changing world of poverty. It is a sinister and at times… more info
9. Short films on subjects as diverse as Waste, Bags, Love, Barrels, Coal and Poop
Review many of the short films and access the trailers. Titles include: Wilbur goes Poor; Colours in the Dust; The Crisis and the Sunglasses; Poop on Poverty; and, Afghan Girl...question: These films raise loads of really important questions - Your answers to which could have very significant implications for your strategies and programmes
"We must begin to accept that improving quality of life of the increasing numbers of surviving children, and not simply reduction of mortality, should be the goal of global health efforts.
Accordingly, GH partnerships must bring together resources for health worker education at all levels to understand and appreciate this approach, broaden health planning by governments, foundations, and NGOs, and begin to build the needed infrastructure in rehabilitation services and education at the local level." - Alfred L. Scherzer, MD, EdD, FAAP
Low- andmiddle-income countries are experiencing a significant reduction in mortality of children under 5 years of age. This reduction is bringing in its wake large numbers of surviving children with developmental delays and disabilities. Very little attention has been paid to these children, most of whomreceiveminimal or no support. Thus, there is an urgent need to recognize that improving the quality of life of the survivors must complement mortality reduction in healthcare practice and programs. The incorporation of early evaluation and intervention programs into routine pediatric care is likely to have the most impact on the quality of life of these children. We therefore call for leadership frompractitioners, governments, and international organizations to prioritize regular childhood developmental surveillance for possible delays and disabilities, and to pursue early referral for intervention.
The report brings welcome news: measured by the proxy-indicator consistently used by the JMP since 2000, the MDG drinking-water target was met in 2010, five years ahead of schedule. However, the job is far from done. An estimated 780 million still lacked safe drinking water in 2010, and the world is unlikely to meet the MDG sanitation target. A reduction in urban-rural disparities and inequities associated with poverty; drinking-water coverage in countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania; putting sanitation 'on track'; and universal coverage beyond 2015 all remain high on the development and public health agenda.
Globally, about one quarter of all neonatal deaths are caused by birth asphyxia. In this document, birth asphyxia is defined simply as the failure to initiate and sustain breathing at birth. Effective resuscitation at birth can prevent a large proportion of these deaths. The need for clinical guidelines on basic newborn resuscitation, suitable for settings with limited resources, is universally recognized. WHO had responded to this need by developing guidelines for this purpose that are contained in the document Basic newborn resuscitation: a practical guide. As this document is over a decade old, a process to update the guidelines on basic newborn resuscitation was initiated in 2009.
The objective of these updated WHO guidelines is to ensure that newborns in resource-limited settings who require resuscitation are effectively resuscitated. These guidelines will inform WHO training and reference materials, such as Pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and newborn care: a guide for essential practice; Essential newborn care course; Managing newborn problems: a guide for doctors, nurses and midwives; and Pocket book of hospital care for children: guidelines for the management of common illnesses with limited resources. These guidelines will assist programme managers responsible for implementing maternal and child health programmes to develop or adapt national or local guidelines, standards and training materials on newborn care. Download .pdf
Newborns die at alarming rates in the developing world, nearly 4 million every year. Most can be saved with low-cost, low-tech interventions. Our newborn care series brings alive these lifesaving interventions in a memorable and engaging way to help health workers learn and save newborn lives.
The newborn care series provides our target audience of frontline health workers with visual clinical guidelines for training and review in the clinic setting. We have drawn primarily on the following international standards of care: Care of the Newborn Reference Manual, Save the Children, 2004; Managing Newborn Problems, WHO, 2003; and Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses Chart Booklet, WHO, 2011.
The current shortage of over 3.5 million doctors, nurses, midwives and community health workers means that millions of children do not receive the health care they need, and risk an early death from preventable causes. We cannot achieve the goal of saving 15 million children’s lives by 2015 unless a health worker – with the right skills, equipment and support – is within reach of every child.
More Health Workers - The world is suffering from a massive gap of more than 3.5 million health workers. Join with hundreds of organisations who have already signed up to our urgent call for more health workers, better supported. click here
Putting Health Workers First
"The focus of all our efforts should be on enabling healthcare providers to deliver evidence-based health care for all. A SEISMIC shift is needed progressively to understand and address the full range of basic needs of healthcare providers in low- and middle-income countries: Skills, Equipment, Information, Structural support, Medicines, Incentives (including a decent salary) and Communication facilities." - Neil Pakenham-Walsh, Coordinator - HIFA2015 campaign
Governments and funding agencies should absorb and keep constantly in mind the words of Lincoln Chen and colleagues:
"Indeed, the only route to reaching the Health MDGs is through the health worker: there are no shortcuts."
by Murray Dickson updated and expanded with information about HIV and AIDS by Richard Bebermeyer, Martin Hobdell and Gene Stevenson - Hesperian, 15th printing (updated), July 2012 248 pp. 11.9 MB - Download .pdf
The 2012 edition of Where There Is No Dentist features a new section on how to do Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART), a permanent way to fill cavities without the use of a dental drill that was first pioneered in Tanzania in the mid-80s and is now used by health workers and dental workers in many parts of the world. Also updated was the In-formation on other training materials, resources, and where to get dental supplies. This book is an important companion to the 2011 printing of Where There Is No Doctor.
13 September 2012 - Data released today by UNICEF and the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation show that the number of children under the age of 5 dying globally has dropped from nearly 12 million in 1990 to an estimated 6.9 million in 2011.
UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake says, "The global decline in under-5 mortality is a significant success that is a testament to the work and dedication of many, including governments, donors, agencies and families. But there is also unfinished business: Millions of children under 5 are still dying each year from largely preventable causes for which there are proven, affordable interventions."
He stresses, "These lives could be saved with vaccines, adequate nutrition and basic medical and maternal care. The world has the technology and know-how to do so. The challenge is to make these available to every child."
Video UNICEF reports on progress made in reducing child deaths worldwide
Progress report Committing to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed
Video World embraces goal of ending preventable child deaths
The 2012 edition of the Child Development Index tells a story of success. The edition shows that substantial progress has been made in addressing the most basic threats to child survival and well-being. On average, the lives of children around the world in the indicators measured improved by more than 30%. This means that the chances of a child going to school were one-third higher, and the chances of an infant dying before their fifth birthday were one-third lower at the end of the 2000s than a decade before. Overall, during this period child well-being improved in 90% of the countries surveyed.
This handbook, Access to Knowledge: A Guide for Everyone, is a part of that broader programme. Its aim is to provide a concise and nonspecialist introduction to IP and A2K issues, and selected related issues of communications rights and access to information and communication technologies (ICTs). Its intended readership includes consumer groups and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) who wish to become more knowledgeable in this area, individual academics and activists who could use a simple reference guide to the many related issues of A2K, and consumers at large who are affected by unfair IP laws and practices.
On this note, whilst A2K has not always been high on the agenda of the global consumer movement, CI believes that it is very much of a consumer issue, on a par with the more traditional consumer issues such as food and product safety, sustainable consumption, and unethical marketing. After all, many activities that now form part of consumers' everyday lives, such as accessing learningmaterials, transferringmusic, videos or e-books from one device to another, and sharing their interests online, are deeply impacted by IP laws and policies. Download .pdf
The 2012 edition of the Child Development Index tells a story of success. The edition shows that substantial progress has been made in addressing the most basic threats to child survival and well-being. On average, the lives of children around the world in the indicators measured improved by more than 30%. This means that the chances of a child going to school were one-third higher, and the chances of an infant dying before their fifth birthday were one-third lower at the end of the 2000s than a decade before. Overall, during this period child well-being improved in 90% of the countries surveyed.
by Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) on Jul 02, 2012
The Millennium Development Goals Report 2012 was launched in New York by the Secretary-General on 2 July 2012. The report presents the yearly assessment of global progress towards the MDGs, highlighting several milestones – three important MDG targets have been met well ahead of the target date of 2015. The report says that meeting the remaining targets, while challenging, remain possible - but only if Governments do not waiver from their commitments made over a decade ago. The report is based on a master set of data compiled by the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on MDG indicators led by the Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
The work of Translators without Borders is of crucial importance for the success of humanitarian projects. Information available in the local language is much more effective than in a foreign language. This is true for engineering and construction projects (such as digging water wells), and agricultural projects (such as how to irrigate the land). But it is particularly important in healthcare. In many areas in the world people do not only die from diseases, but also from the fact that they do not have basic information about how to stay healthy and what to do to prevent disease.
If you are a translator and you are willing to donate your time and professional skills to Translators without Borders, you will directly support humanitarian projects. To join TWB, we ask you to fill in the translator application form.
This year, more than 7 million children will die before they turn 5. Most of these children live in poor countries, and their deaths are largely preventable.
We Know What Works: Child mortality has been reduced by 70% over the last 50 years. We must expand access to lifesaving solutions while developing new tools needed to take us the last mile.
Nonprofit organizations are one of the top two ways adults are most likely to get involved in positive social change. On average, about half of adults agree nonprofits make it easy for people to be involved in social change.
Globally, adults are morelikely to agree with the three POSITIVE attributes or strengths of nonprofit organizations presented than the three NEGATIVE attributes or weaknesses presented.
Source: Walden University's 2012 Social Change Impact Report. Conducted by Harris Interactive, Feb.–March 2012.
Objective: To ensure that all babies are born with a skilled birth attendant present.
Helping Babies Breathe is a neonatal resuscitation curriculum for resource-limited circumstances. It was developed on the premise that assessment at birth and simple newborn care are things that every baby deserves. The initial steps taught in HBB can save lives and give a much better start to many babies who struggle to breathe at birth. The focus is to meet the needs of every baby born.
The Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) Implementation Guide is a tool for advancing sustainable national programs for newborn and maternal health. For maximum impact, HBB should be integrated into existing newborn or maternal health training, but it can be implemented as a stand-alone program, depending on national priorities.
By UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO, World Bank; May 2012
Globally, the total number of maternal deaths decreased by from 543,000 in 1990 to 287,000 in 2010. Likewise, the global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) declined from 400 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 210 in 2010, representing an average annual decline of 3.1 per cent.
All developing regions experienced a decline in MMR between 1990 and 2010, with the highest reduction in the 20-year period in Eastern Asia (69 per cent) followed by Northern Africa (66 per cent), Southern Asia (64 per cent), Sub-Saharan Africa (41 per cent), Latin America and the Caribbean (41 per cent), Oceania (38 per cent) and finally Caucasus and Central Asia (35 per cent).
Countdown launched its 2012 Report on June 14, 2012, at the Child Survival Call to Action, a two-day high-level meeting in Washington, D.C. This conference, convened by the governments of the U.S., Ethiopia, and India in collaboration with UNICEF, charted a course toward the end of preventable child deaths around the world.
The 2012 Report, Building a Future for Women and Children, highlights country progress—and obstacles to progress—towards achieving Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health. It focuses, like previous Countdown reports, on evidence-based solutions—health interventions proven to save lives—and on the health systems, policies, financing and broader contextual factors that affect the equitable delivery of these interventions to women and children. Country profiles for 75 Countdown countries were published together with the report.
Preparing the Next Generation of Community Health Workers: The Power of Technology for Training
May 2012 - A generation ago, few would have dreamed that mobile technology would create five billion points of contact around the world or that nine out of 10 internet users in Sub-Saharan Africa would access the internet through mobile devices. They could not have imagined how innovative technologies such as Skype, Facebook, and African-born solutions like M-PESA would transform spheres of business, politics, and society. What if these same, disruptive technologies could be applied to transform global health for the next generation?
This study builds on the momentum and excitement generated by the launch of mHealth Education at the 2011 Mobile Health Summit in Cape Town regarding the use of mobile technology to support health education and training in developing countries. The findings and analysis presented in the chapters that follow would not have been possible without the individuals from more than 30 organizations who shared their insights, data and perspectives, as well as the peer reviewers, who provided valuable feedback and refinements.
Latest estimates of causes of child mortality in 2010 with time trends since 2000
The Lancet - 11 May 2012 - Child survival strategies should direct resources toward the leading causes of child mortality, with attention focusing on infectious and neonatal causes. More rapid decreases from 2010—15 will need accelerated reduction for the most common causes of death, notably pneumonia and preterm birth complications. Continued efforts to gather high-quality data and enhance estimation methods are essential for the improvement of future estimates.
8 June 2012 – Preventing and treating pneumonia and diarrhoea – the two leading causes of death among children under five – can help save the lives of more than two million children, according to a report released today by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“We know what works against pneumonia and diarrhoea – the two illnesses that hit the poorest hardest,” UNICEF’s Executive Director, Anthony Lake, said in a news release. “Scaling up simple interventions could overcome two of the biggest obstacles to increasing child survival, help give every child a fair chance to grow and thrive.”
Pneumonia and diarrhoea account for nearly one-third of the deaths among children under five globally – or more than 2 million lives each year. Nearly 90 per cent of deaths from pneumonia and diarrhoea occur in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
The prevention and treatments for both diseases often overlap, and include such basic steps as: increasing vaccine coverage; encouraging breastfeeding and hand-washing with soap; expanding access to safe drinking water and sanitation; and disseminating oral rehydration salts to children with diarrhoea and antibiotics to children with bacterial pneumonia.
Download pdf report
"'We, as the leaders of WHO and UNICEF, are personally committed to the achievement of MDG 4 and new targets introduced through A Call to Action and A Promise Renewed. The two agencies will work in an even closer collaboration to support countries to achieve universal coverage of effective interventions - and effectively put an end to preventable child deaths."
Thanks in large part to the increased attention to maternal and child survival brought about by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the world has made substantial progress in reducing child mortality over the past two decades. The number of deaths among children younger than 5 years has declined from more than 12 million in 1990 to 7·6 million in 2010. The mortality rate in children under 5 years has dropped from 88 deaths per 1000 livebirths in 1990 to 57 in 2010—a 35% reduction. The rate of decline in the under 5 mortality rate has accelerated from 1·9% a year from 1990 to 2000 to 2·5% a year from 2000 to 2010. The rate of reduction has doubled in sub-Saharan Africa. These gains underline the importance of having clearly defined targets, especially when they are combined with mechanisms for monitoring progress, ensuring equity, and promoting accountability.
Social autopsy and lack of healthcare knowledge as a contributing factor to avoidable death
The importance of understanding the circumstances, decisions and actions that lead to individual preventable deaths:
'Every death is the result of a chain of circumstances, decisions and actions - a chain that could be broken, and a death avoided, by something as simple as very basic healthcare knowledge. This kind of research, which is sometimes called social autopsy, is difficult and challenging as it involves in-depth interviews with bereaved family members. But every death has an important story to tell and vital lessons to be learned. A thematic analysis of these stories would help families, communities, health workers and policymakers to avoid further deaths in the future.' - Neil Pakenham-Walsh, HIFA2015, June 2011
Tools that enable health workers to carefully review each death that occurs in their institution with the goal of breaking the 'chain to death':
Perinatal Problem Identification Program - (PPIP) Perinatal Mortality Audit Tool - At present this database contains data of more than 1,800,000 births. If you are involved in perinatal health care, you can become part of this national effort to improve the care our mothers and babies receive.
The Saving Children reports give an overview of child mortality in South African hospitals, using the Child PIP mortality audit process to assess the quality of care that children receive in the South African health system. Through this process, problems are identified and solutions devised at local, provincial and national levels, which can lead to improvements in quality of care and ultimately to reduced in-hospital mortality for children.
World Health Statistics 2012 contains WHO's annual compilation of health-related data for its 194 Member States, and includes a summary of the progress made towards achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and associated targets. This year, it also includes highlight summaries on the topics of noncommunicable diseases, universal health coverage and civil registration coverage.
Factors causing mass population flight are growing and over the coming decade more people on the move will become refugees or displaced within their own country. Displacement from conflict was becoming compounded by a combination of causes, including climate change, population growth, urbanization, food insecurity, water scarcity and resource competition.
All these factors are interacting with each other, increasing instability and conflict and forcing people to move. In a world that is becoming smaller and smaller, finding solutions, he said, would need determined international political will.
Solution Exchange is a Knowledge Management initiative of the United Nations Country Team in India. The brand is recognized by development professionals as a platform for exchange of ideas and dialogue between different stakeholders. SE membership is a talent pool of more than 35,000 subscriptions including practitioners from civil society, grass roots organizations, academics, research institutions and government who come together to share knowledge and best practices, provide solutions and address development challenges. There are 13 Communities of Practice organized around national priorities and MDGs, facilitated by different UN agencies. Solution Exchange (SE) offers a free, impartial space where all partners are welcome members of the community.
Maternal and Child Health Community of Practice of Solution Exchange aids in addressing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) relating to improving maternal and child health and to reducing maternal, infant and child mortality. The community has been in existence for last 7 years with a membership of about 4,000 MCH practitioners, has discussed over 190 issues which are available here- Maternal and Child Health Community - For queries and subscription, write to [email protected]
What do you picture when you think of the way you'd want to be treated when it's time to have a baby? Pregnant women around the world seeking maternity care from the health systems in their countries instead receive ill treatment that ranges from disrespect of their autonomy and dignity to outright abuse: physical assault, verbal insults, discrimination, abandonment, or detention in facilities for failure to pay. Disrespect and abuse during maternity care are a violation of a woman's basic human rights. We have to break the silence.
Save the Children's State of the World's Mothers 2012 Report
"Our research shows that a mother's breast milk — one single nutrition intervention — can save a million children's lives each year,... All mothers should have the support they need to choose to breastfeed if they want to. Breastfeeding is good for babies no matter where they live, but in developing countries, especially those without access to clean water, breastfeeding can be a matter of life or death."
15 Million babies born too soon. 1.1 Million preterm babies die every year, but with inexpensive treatment 75% could survive
Born too soon: the global action report on preterm birth provides the first-ever national, regional and global estimates of preterm birth. The report shows the extent to which preterm birth is on the rise in most countries, and is now the second leading cause of death globally for children under five, after pneumonia.
Addressing preterm birth is now an urgent priority for reaching Millennium Development Goal 4, calling for the reduction of child deaths by two-thirds by 2015. This report shows that rapid change is possible and identifies priority actions for everyone.
This inspiring report is a joint effort of almost 50 international, regional and national organizations, led by the March of Dimes, The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, Save the Children and the World Health Organization in support of the Every Woman Every Child effort, led by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Preterm birth is the second largest direct cause of child deaths in children younger than 5 years. Yet, data regarding preterm birth (<37 completed weeks of gestation) are not routinely collected by UN agencies, and no systematic country estimates nor time trend analyses have been done. We report worldwide, regional, and national estimates of preterm birth rates for 184 countries in 2010 with time trends for selected countries, and provide a quantitative assessment of the uncertainty surrounding these estimates.
Adolescence is a formative period during which children grow into their rightful place as full citizens and agents of change in their own lives and the lives of their societies. Progress for Children: A report card on adolescents provides an overview of the situation of adolescents, including of their vulnerabilities in critical areas. It makes a compelling case for increased efforts in advocacy, programming and policy, and for investment, to ensure the rights of adolescents and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
Download PDF - UNICEF - 52 pages - April 2012 - ISBN: 978-92-806-4629-0
According to UNICEF, of the 8.1 million child deaths (under-5s) in 2009, most (and 70% in developing countries) result from one the following five causes or a combination thereof: acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea, measles, malaria and malnutrition.
Two-thirds of deaths are preventable. Malnutrition, which weakens the body's resistance to illness, and the lack of safe water and sanitation contribute to half of all these children’s deaths. Millions more survive only to face diminished futures, unable to develop to their full potential. Research and experience show that most of the children who die each year could be saved by low-tech, evidence-based, cost-effective measures such as vaccines, antibiotics, micronutrient supplementation, insecticide-treated bed nets, improved family care and breastfeeding practices, and oral rehydration therapy. In addition to providing vaccines and antibiotics to children, education could also be provided to mothers about how they can make simple changes to living conditions such as improving hygiene in order to increase the health of their children. Mothers who are educated will also have increased confidence in the ability to take care of their children, therefore providing a healthier relationship and environment for them.
An Urgent Need for Health Education
Many of these deaths can be avoided if parents and caregivers understand what to do when illness strikes and how to recognize the danger signs that signal the need for medical help. Facts for Life presents, in simple language, the most authoritative information about practical, effective and low-cost ways to protect children's lives and health. Everyone has the right to know this information.
I told my husband that if Shah Jahan could build the Taj Mahal to honour Mumtaz, why can’t you build a toilet for me?
Village woman in Maharashtra, India
India, where more than 65 percent of people lack a toilet and 500,000 children die each year from diarrhoeal illnesses.
Toilets are extremely important for public health, and – when you think of it – even human dignity. For most of us living in the developed world, we often don't give them much thought.
The flush toilets we use in the wealthy world are irrelevant, impractical and impossible for 40 percent of the global population, because they often don't have access to water, and sewers, electricity, and sewage treatment systems. Worldwide, there are 2.5 billion people without access to safe sanitation—including 1 billion people who still defecate out in the open and more than 1 billion others who must use pit latrines.
Food and water tainted with fecal matter causes diarrheal diseases that kill 1.5 million children every year - more than the annual deaths from AIDS and malaria combined.
Nearly half of India's 1.2 billion people have no toilet at home, but more people own a mobile phone, according to the country's latest census data. Only 46.9% of the 246.6 million households have toilets while 49.8% defecate in the open. The remaining 3.2% use public toilets.
Census of India 2011 - Availability and Type of Latrine Facility: 2001-2011 - Census 2011 data on houses, household amenities and assets reveal that 63.2% of homes have a telephone. More than half the population – 53.2% – have a mobile phone.
About 77% of homes in the eastern state of Jharkhand have no toilet facilities, while the figure is 76.6% for Orissa and 75.8% in Bihar. All three are among India's poorest states. In Jammu & Kashmir 8.9% of households still have their latrines emptied by manual scavengers.
"Open defecation continues to be a big concern for the country as almost half of the population do it," Registrar General and Census Commissioner C. Chandramouli said while releasing the latest data. "Cultural and traditional reasons and a lack of education are the prime reasons for this unhygienic practice. We have to do a lot in these fronts," he said.
The Story of Cholera is an engaging, educational animation in which a young boy helps a health worker save his father and then guides his village in preventing cholera from spreading. By making the invisible cholera germs visible, this simple animated narrative brings to life the teaching points of cholera prevention.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports an estimated 3–5 million cholera cases annually, resulting in 100,000–120,000 deaths worldwide. Cholera can kill quickly and, if not contained, will spread like wildfire. Yet, it is preventable and readily treatable.
Public education is an effective means to help contain epidemics. But at-risk populations are often poorly informed as to how cholera is spread and how to prevent transmission.
Explore the app - Hesperian’s comprehensive app on pregnancy and birth contains a wealth of information on:
• how to stay healthy during pregnancy
• how to recognize danger signs during pregnancy, birth, and after birth
• what to do when a danger sign arises
• when to refer a woman to emergency care
• instructions for community health workers with step-by-step explanations such as "How to take blood pressure", "How to treat someone in shock", "How to stop bleeding".
For iPhone and iPod Touch: Download the app for free from the iTunes store.
For Android: Download the beta release of the Android version for free from the Google Play app store.
As this is a beta release, we are aware that it still needs a little work in places. We welcome feedback and code contributions to help improve the experience. Please reach out to us at [email protected], and you can find the source code here.
Don’t have an iPhone or Android? If you don’t have an iPhone or iPod Touch, you can preview the app here. (Please keep in mind that the app was built to be viewed on a mobile device, so please forgive us if the quality is not perfect.)
Hundreds of millions of children today live in urban slums, many without access to basic services.
We must do more to reach all children in need, wherever they are excluded and left behind. Some might ask whether we can afford to do this, especially at a time of austerity. But if we overcome the barriers that have kept these children from the services that they need and that are theirs by right, then millions more will grow up healthy, attend school and live more productive lives.
Can we afford not to do this? - Anthony Lake - Executive Director, UNICEF
Hands to Hearts International’s Baby Massage DVD teaches basic baby massage strokes that not only make your little one happy but build loving bonds crucial to their development. When you purchase our Baby Massage DVD for yourself, or as a gift, you’re contributing to HHI’s work with orphaned and vulnerable children around India.
* Reduces baby’s fussiness and crying
* Improves baby’s sleep
* Decreases constipation and colic
* Increases bond between parent and child
* Relaxing for baby and parent
* Filmed in India. The DVD is available in English, with subtitles in the following 18 languages: Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Finnish, French, Hindi, Japanese, Oriya, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish, Tamil, Telugu, Turkish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.
Along with your DVD you’ll receive an instructional poster with pictures to guide your baby massage. Cost: $25 USD, shipping included for a limited time. Order here.
last update on
30 April, 2013
All information on this web site is for educational purposes only.
For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, kindly consult your doctor.
19,000 children die every day from preventable causes
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Tools that enable health workers to carefully review each death that occurs in their institution with the goal of breaking the 'chain to death':
