2.1m Indian children don't live to see fifth birthday – annually
* Sierra Leone at top with 270 deaths per one thousand births
By Iftikhar Gilani
According to a report by The State of the World's Children 2008, every year 2.1 million children die in India before their fifth birthday mostly due to malnutrition.
The report unveiled by the UNICEF called for urgent action to tackle the underlying causes of child deaths. The report said that more than 80 per cent of child deaths were in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In South Asia 3.1 million children die every year. Pakistan reporting 97 deaths per 1000 children was behind India and Bangladesh with 76 and 69 deaths, respectively. While Sierra Leone toped with 270 deaths, Sweden ranked lowest with just three deaths. Afghanistan continued at third place with 257 deaths per 1000 children born.
Admitting the widening gap between urban and rural India, Dr Lovleen Kakkar, Joint Secretary in the Department of Child and Women Welfare said the government has allocated Rs 530 billion in the 11th plan for children welfare. She said government was alert and was devising schemes and strategies to decrease deaths due to malnutrition. "India accounts for over 20 percent of under-five children's deaths. More shocking is that 25 percent of children dying (worldwide) before 20th day after their birth are from India," said Gianni Murzi, country representative of UNICEF India.
Across the globe, 9.7 million children die before they attend five years of age. 'Though the number of deaths has gone below the 10 million mark worldwide, there is no place for complacency. Our challenges remain intact.
We (both India and the UNICEF) need to work together for scaling up efforts and achieving progress in this field. The report revealed that 50 percent of children's deaths are due to malnutrition, 19 percent due to pneumonia, 17 percent due to diarrhoea, eight percent due to malaria and three percent are due to measles.
By Iftikhar Gilani
According to a report by The State of the World's Children 2008, every year 2.1 million children die in India before their fifth birthday mostly due to malnutrition.
The report unveiled by the UNICEF called for urgent action to tackle the underlying causes of child deaths. The report said that more than 80 per cent of child deaths were in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In South Asia 3.1 million children die every year. Pakistan reporting 97 deaths per 1000 children was behind India and Bangladesh with 76 and 69 deaths, respectively. While Sierra Leone toped with 270 deaths, Sweden ranked lowest with just three deaths. Afghanistan continued at third place with 257 deaths per 1000 children born.
Admitting the widening gap between urban and rural India, Dr Lovleen Kakkar, Joint Secretary in the Department of Child and Women Welfare said the government has allocated Rs 530 billion in the 11th plan for children welfare. She said government was alert and was devising schemes and strategies to decrease deaths due to malnutrition. "India accounts for over 20 percent of under-five children's deaths. More shocking is that 25 percent of children dying (worldwide) before 20th day after their birth are from India," said Gianni Murzi, country representative of UNICEF India.
Across the globe, 9.7 million children die before they attend five years of age. 'Though the number of deaths has gone below the 10 million mark worldwide, there is no place for complacency. Our challenges remain intact.
We (both India and the UNICEF) need to work together for scaling up efforts and achieving progress in this field. The report revealed that 50 percent of children's deaths are due to malnutrition, 19 percent due to pneumonia, 17 percent due to diarrhoea, eight percent due to malaria and three percent are due to measles.
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