New York – A UNICEF report released on Wednesday in New York, noted that the number of children under 5 who die of preventable causes has dropped by more than 50 per cent since 1990.
It revealed that in spite of the drop, the goal set in 2000 to reduce the number by two-thirds has not been met.
The report found that while the lives of 48 million children had been saved in the last 15 years, only 24 of the world’s 81 poorest countries had cut the figure by two-thirds.
It said 5.9 million children under five die from preventable causes annually, down 53-per-cent drop from 1990 levels.
According to the report, the figure measuring the impact of the MDGs came as world leaders are scheduled to adopt a new set of global targets the “Sustainable Development Goals’’ (SDGs) in September, for the next 15 years.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
Yoka Brandt, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, said the SDGs call on countries to reduce their under-5 mortality rates to 25 deaths per 1,000 births by 2030.
He said this could save 38 million children in that time.
“The data tell us that millions of children do not have to die if we focus greater effort on reaching every child.
Brandt said the major leading causes of preventable deaths are premature birth, pneumonia, complications during birth, diarrhoea and malaria.
He said the most available solutions to these include access to medical care, breastfeeding, immunisation, mosquito nets and clean drinking water. (dpa/NAN)
