Worldwide Child Deaths Drop Below 10 Million Mark Annually

In many countries throughout the world, the resources to provide medical care to children under the age of five are either limited or primitive. This makes the recent drop of the number of childhood deaths to under 10 million very significant. This positive news was reported by the US Fund for UNICEF in a recent press release. In 1990, there were 13 million childhood deaths throughout the world. The most recent number though indicates there are now only 9.7 million per year which is a record low according to the press release.

While 9.7 million childhood deaths is still a large number overall, the reduction of childhood deaths by just under 33% is a very significant accomplishment. There are many factors that contribute to the high total of childhood deaths, which are defined by the press release as deaths of children under the age of five. Some of the risks for children's in this age range include childhood diseases, health conditions passed on by their parents, and poor living conditions throughout many countries in the world.

UNICEF started concentrating on programs to reduce the childhood mortality rate twenty-five years ago. Some ideas they implemented included immunizations, breastfeeding as exclusive milk sources for infants, and growth monitoring. The press release credits these programs for contributing to the reduction in childhood mortality rates.

Overall, the larger childhood mortality rates exist in third world countries, and many of them have made significant improvements in their rates. Deaths due to cases of measles throughout the world have dropped 60 percent overall since 1999, and Sub-Saharan Africa alone has seen a drop of 75 percent in deaths for children due to measles.