India’s under five mortality now equals global child death rate
The total number of under five child deaths have fallen below the one million mark for the first time in history, as per UN estimates.
India’s share of global child mortality declined from 22 percent in 2012 to 18 percent in 2017 – equal for the first time to India’s share of global births. These are some of the findings of the new mortality estimates released by UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Population Division and the World Bank Group.
Around the world, an estimated 6.3 million children under 15 years of age died in 2017, or 1 every 5 seconds. For India however there is enough to feel happy about.
The under-five mortality rate of India at 39 per 1000 now equals that of the world, highlighting the much faster decline by India in the last five years as compared to the global decline.
The gender gap in child survival has reduced almost fourfold in the last five years, with under-five mortality of girl children now being 2.5 percent higher, compared to nearly 10 percent in 2012. In spite of the progress, more work is still needed as globally it is nearly 11 percent higher for boys.
The share of neonatal to under-five mortality continues to increase due to faster decline in post neonatal deaths. Newborn deaths now contribute to 62 percent of under-five deaths.
“India continues to show impressive decline in child deaths, with its share of global under-five deaths for the first time equaling its share of childbirths”
Dr. Yasmin Ali Haque, UNICEF India Representative said, “India continues to show impressive decline in child deaths, with its share of global under-five deaths for the first time equaling its share of childbirths. The efforts for improving institutional delivery, along with countrywide scale up of special newborn care units and strengthening of routine immunization have been instrumental towards this. Even more heartening is the fourfold decline in the gender gap in survival of the girl child over last five years. The investment on ensuring holistic nutrition under POSHAN Abhiyan (National Nutrition Mission) and the national commitment to make India open defecation free by 2019, are steps that will help to accelerate progress further.”
Globally, in 2017, half of all deaths under five years of age took place in sub-Saharan Africa, and another 30 per cent in Southern Asia. In sub-Saharan Africa, 1 in 13 children died before their fifth birthday. In high-income countries, that number was 1 in 185.
“Millions of babies and children should not still be dying every year from lack of access to water, sanitation, proper nutrition or basic health services,” said Dr. Princess Nono Simelela, Assistant Director-General for Family, Women and Children’s Health at WHO. “We must prioritize providing universal access to quality health services for every child, particularly around the time of birth and through the early years, to give them the best possible chance to survive and thrive.”
Most children under 5 die due to preventable or treatable causes such as complications during birth, pneumonia, diarrhea, neonatal sepsis and malaria. By comparison, among children between 5 and 14 years of age, injuries become a more prominent cause of death, especially from drowning and road traffic.