State of the World's Mothers Report 2007

Egypt makes the most progress and Iraq the least In reducing child deaths, report finds

 

Millions of children still dying each year despite availability of proven, low-cost interventions that could save their lives

Egypt has made the most progress since 1990 — and Iraq the least — in saving the lives of children under 5, according to the eighth annual State of the World’s Mothers report issued today by Save the Children, the world’s largest independent child-rights organisation.

The report includes the first-ever Child Survival Progress Rankings of 60 developing countries, which together account for 94 percent of all child deaths worldwide. The rankings indicate which countries are succeeding and which are failing to save the lives of children under the age of 5.

According to the report, Iraq’s child mortality rate has increased by a staggering 150 percent since 1990. Some 122,000 Iraqi children died in 2005 before reaching their fifth birthday. More than half of these deaths were among newborn babies in the first month of life.

On the positive side, Egypt has achieved an impressive 68 percent decline in child deaths in the past 15 years. Investments in health services for mothers and children have helped improve care for pregnant women, made childbirth safer and increased the use of family planning services. As a result, thousands of children's lives have been saved.

Twenty of the 60 countries in the Child Survival Progress Rankings have either made no progress in reducing deaths among children under age 5, or their mortality rates have increased since 1990. Iraq, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Swaziland emerge as the countries that are regressing the most.  In each of these countries, under-5 mortality rates have increased in the past 15 years. In Iraq and Botswana, rates have more than doubled.

“More than 10 million children under age 5 still die each year. That’s almost 28,000 a day — almost all in developing countries,” said Save the Children Chief Executive, Margaret Douglas in issuing the report. “The interventions that can save these lives, such as vaccines, oral rehydration therapy and insecticide-treated mosquito nets are not expensive. Yet, sadly, many mothers and children lack access to these lifesaving measures,” she said. Read more here

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For more information please contact:

Sharyn Hanly:  +61 3 9938 2011 or Mob: 0418 560 810
Contact Save the Children Australia Media Centre: +61 3 9938 2000
Email address: media@savethechildren.org.au

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