UNICEF calls for urgent action to contain high child mortality rates in India
According to a report published by the United Nations Children Fund on Thursday, the children under the age of five dying in India is very high which requires coordinated and concentrated action if it were to be contained. The statistics is telling in nature. Of the 9.7 million children under the age of five dying globally, India accounts for 2.1 million. This is despite the fact the mortality in general has declined by 34% between 1990 and 2006.
The major causes of the child mortality are neonatal (37%), pneumonia(19%) diarrhea (17%) and AIDS (3%). India accounts for 8.3% of low-wight-birth rates. 35% of the world’s undernourished children live in India. The child malnutrition in India has shown a marginal decline by a percentage point between 1998-99 and 2005-06 with a overall percentage of 46%.
Urgent action is needed if the underlying causes of the child deaths were to be contained. This has to be by increasing investments in child survival and development programs. On a micro-level preventive measures that are needed as per the report are (a) early and exclusive breast-feeding for the first six months, (b) appropriate complementary feeding from six months to two years, and (c) skilled care at birth ad special care for low-birth weighted babies.
According to Mr.Gianni Murzi, UNICEF’s country representative, three factors that are needed to reduce the child mortality rates are (a) easy interventions, (b) sustained strengthening of health systems and © community participation. India has to achieve th is if millennium development goals were to be accomplished.