Lives of 2.5 million children could be saved
Lives of 2.5 million children under five could be saved every year, charity claims
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By Matt Hallam. |  |
Monday, 16, Nov 2009 06:51
Simple interventions and a rebalance of health spending could save the lives of almost a third of the children under five who die each year.
The advice from World Vision was highlighted in a report concerned about the 8.8 million children dying every year from preventable diseases.
A new report by the Christian humanitarian agency calls for scaling up simple preventive health measures for mothers and children, particularly at the community level.
The authors say this must be a priority, adding that more strategic use of funding and resources would keep millions of children from dying before they reach their fifth birthdays.
"Our world is in the grip of a chronic humanitarian crisis with more than 24,000 children dying each day," said World Vision International's president Kevin Jenkins.
"Yet we know that even in the poorest countries, most child deaths are not inevitable.
"The truth is politics, not poverty, is what is killing these children. For many politicians, saving infants and children from illness and death is simply not a priority. Our campaign will mobilize and equip people worldwide to hold their leaders to account for ensuring child health now."
The charity has also from today launched Child Health Now, its first global advocacy campaign, for the 100 countries in which it works. They hope the initiative will reduce child mortality by two-thirds by 2015, by ensuring government leaders deliver on their commitments.
"At least 2.5 million children's lives could be saved each year by implementing low-cost, simple interventions such as water and hygiene, bed nets, and basic maternal and newborn care," said Mr Jenkins.
"As many as six million children could be saved yearly by combining these approaches with more strategic allocation of resources to meet needs at the community level, and by fulfilled global donor commitments."
He added that recent history shows substantial progress is achievable, with child deaths cut by more than half since 1960, when 20 million children died from preventable causes.