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12 October 2008 13:42 BST

Rich countries 'failing' to save young children's lives

Monday, 18 Feb 2008 15:42

Some countries are failing to use their resources to prevent children dying before the age of five, report claims

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Children born in rich countries will not necessarily live beyond the age of five, a new campaign has warned today.

Save the Children said that even poor countries could reduce child mortality if they pursue the right policies.

Its latest report contains a 'wealth and survival index' which compares child mortality in a country to its national income per person.

This shows which countries are failing to use their resources to prevent children dying before the age of five.

Oil-rich Angola comes bottom and is accused of not converting its relatively high income into a reduction in child mortality.

Despite having nearly three times the income of second-from-bottom Sierra Leone, the most recent data for Angola shows that it has only a slightly lower under-five mortality rate.

Countries praised for their efforts include Bangladesh, which is one of the few countries on track to meet the child survival Millenium Development Goal despite its relatively low gross national income.

"A child's chance of making it to its fifth birthday depends on the country or community it is born into," said Save the Children's director of policy David Mepham.

"This sounds like a lottery, something beyond human control, but this should not be the case. While poverty and inequality are consistent underlying causes of child deaths, all countries, even the poorest, can cut child mortality if they pursue the right policies and prioritise their poorest families."

He added: "Good government choices save children's lives but bad ones are a death sentence."

Save the Children wants governments and international donors to invest in free healthcare, clean water and sanitation.

It is also calling for a global summit on child and maternal hunger to draw attention to the problem.
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Rich countries 'failing' to save young children's lives

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Child deaths 'must be reduced'