Levels and Trends in Child Mortality | 15 Mar 2024

Source: DTE

Why in News?

Recently, the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, has released a report titled- Levels and Trends in Child Mortality, which highlighted that the annual number of global under-five deaths in 2022 declined by more than half from the 2000 estimate — from 9.9 million to 4.9 million.

What are the Key Highlights of the Report?

• Historic Low in Child Mortality:
  • The annual number of under the age of five deaths dropped to 4.9 million in 2022, representing a significant achievement in the global effort to reduce child mortality.
  • This is coupled with a decline of more than half in the global under-five mortality rate (U5MR) since 2000.
    • The decline in under-five mortality has been consistent, driven by sustained commitment from various stakeholders including governments, organisations, local communities, healthcare professionals, and families.
• Persistent High Death Toll:
  • Despite the progress, the annual death toll among children, adolescents, and youth remains unacceptably high.
  • In 2022, 2.3 million under-five deaths occurred during the first month of life, and an additional 2.6 million children died between the ages of 1 and 59 months.
    • Furthermore, 2.1 million children, adolescents, and youth aged 5–24 also died that year.
• Magnitude of Lives Lost:
  • Between 2000 and 2022, the world lost 221 million children, adolescents, and youth, with nearly the entire population of Nigeria being a staggering comparison.
    • Neonatal deaths (death of a baby within 28 days of birth) accounted for 72 million of these under-five deaths, and deaths among children aged 1–59 months numbered 91 million.
  • The trend of under-five deaths has increased in the neonatal period from 41% in 2000 to 47% in 2022.
• Inequality in Survival Chances:
  • Children face unequal chances of survival based on factors such as geographical location, socio-economic status, and whether they live in fragile or conflict-affected settings.
  • These disparities highlight persistent and entrenched inequities among vulnerable populations of children.
• Regional Disparities:
  • While global rates of child mortality are declining, there are significant regional disparities.
    • 35 million children under the age of 5 will lose their life before 2030 and sub-Saharan Africa will bear most of the death toll.
  • Countries will not meet the UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets on time.
    • If, however, every country realised the SDG-5 vision of an end to preventable under-five deaths and met the relevant mortality targets on time, 9 million more children would survive to age five.
  • Under current trends, 59 countries will miss the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) under-five mortality target and 64 countries will miss the neonatal mortality target.
• Recommendations:
  • Several low- and lower-middle-income countries have outperformed the global decline in under-five mortality, in some cases slashing their rates by more than two thirds since 2000.
    • These inspiring outcomes demonstrate the high returns when investments are made in maternal, newborn and child health and survival.
  • They also provide important proof that if sustained and strategic action is taken – even in resource constrained settings – levels and trends in under five mortality will shift and lives will be saved.

What can be done to Curb Child Mortality?

• Increase Access to Family Planning Services: Providing comprehensive family planning services can help prevent unintended pregnancies, which can reduce the risk of preterm births and stillbirths.
• Improve Antepartum Services: Enhancing antenatal care services, including regular health and nutrition check-ups for pregnant women, can contribute to healthier pregnancies and reduce the likelihood of preterm births and stillbirths.
  • Ensuring access to iron folic acid supplementation for pregnant mothers can also improve maternal and foetal health.
• Identification and Management of Risk Factors: Implementing effective screening programs to identify and manage risk factors associated with preterm births and stillbirths can help mitigate adverse outcomes.
  • This includes managing conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and infections during pregnancy.
• Improve Data Recording and Reporting: Enhancing data collection systems to accurately record and report preterm births and stillbirths is crucial for understanding the magnitude of the problem and implementing targeted interventions effectively.
  • Adopting standardised classification systems, such as the International Classification of Diseases, for reporting perinatal mortality can improve data quality and comparability.
• Implement Surveillance Guidelines: Ensuring effective implementation of maternal and perinatal deaths surveillance guidelines can help in identifying trends, risk factors, and opportunities for intervention.
  • This includes timely reporting and analysis of maternal and perinatal deaths to inform policy and practice.