By understanding what causes preventable child deaths, we can be informed advocates for children in our communities and with our government.
Millions of children die from illness and health conditions that most kids in Canada wouldn't die from. Here are some basic facts:
- More than two million babies die on the day they are born and another two million in the first month.
- The main identified causes of death are: pneumonia (29%), diarrhoea (20%), pre-term births (12%), asphyxia (suffocation) (10%) and malaria (8%). All these causes are largely preventableand research shows that two-thirds of these deaths or 6 million children could be saved each year through simple, affordable strategies such as better nutrition, birth spacing, skilled birth attendants and early recognition and treatment of childhood diseases.
- Over eighty percent of child deaths occur in the two regions of Sub-Saharan Africa (4.5 million or 49% of the total) and South Asia (3.0 million or 33%).
- Just 30 countries are the home of 7.5 million or 81% of child deaths. Yet these countries in 2006 and 2007 received just 48% of health aid commitments. The three countries contributing the largest number of deaths - India, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – had 39% of total child deaths, yet only 17% of health aid.
- Child deaths are intimately linked to maternal health – children are up to ten times more likely to die if their mother has died.
- around 3 million children are still born.
Do you Five for 5 action this week by watching, rating and sharing this campaign video on child health! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOhHV7hwsXA
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