124 Children’s Deaths Per 1,000 Births Registered In Nigeria

Nigeria is among the outsiders in the rate of child deaths, a scorecard of the 32 nations which have qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil shows.

The rating displays how governments prioritise child healthcare. Nigeria’s progress is not significant: only 42% since 1990.

It occupies 28th position out of 32 in total percentage of reduction in child mortality between the 1990 World Cup in Italy and this year’s Mundial.

The hosts, Brazil, made the most significant progress by reducing child mortality by 77%. Portugal and Iran are 2nd and 3rd on the list with 76% and 69% of reduction respectively.

Currently, 124 children out of every 1,000 live births will not make it to the age of five.

The ranking, “Child Mortality: What’s the Score?” was created in anticipation of an international forum “Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health”, which opens in Johannesburg, South Africa, on June 30, 2014, Monday.

Out of countries of the African continent, the best progress was shown by a LAST16 participant, Algeria: 60% (12th position). The rate of child death is currently 20 per 1,000 live births.

The world’s child mortality rates, mapped. Photo credit – @ONECampaign

Ghanaian success is slightly better than Nigeria’s and equals 44% (27th position). The rate is 72/1000.

Cameroon and Ivory Coast occupy pre-last and last positions in the rating. However, the situation with child mortality there is still better than in Nigeria, as only 95 and 108 children per 1,000 live births, respectively, will be dead by the age of five in these countries.

A major challenge to saving children’s lives is that nearly half of all deaths in children under age five occur in the first 28 days of life.

A prevalent myth is that to save newborns, sophisticated hospitals and intensive care units are needed.

“Simple low-cost solutions could help every country dramatically reduce newborn deaths.

“For example, wiping the umbilical cord with a disinfectant reduces deaths by half. Putting the baby onto the mother’s chest and encouraging breastfeeding also help prevent life-threatening infections,” Professor Zulfiqar Bhutta, co-director of the SickKids Centre for Global Child Health in Canada, said.

by Greenstarnetwork admin..