The good news is that more lives are being saved.
According to the Economist, (bold emphasis mine)
``MORE children are surviving beyond their fifth birthday, according to a new report from the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef). The child mortality rate—the number of under-fives dying per thousand live births—declined from 90 in 1990 to 65 in 2008, a drop of over a quarter. The number of deaths has fallen from 12.5m in 1990 to 8.8m last year, the lowest since records began in 1960. The biggest improvements are in Latin America and the former Soviet Union, where mortality rates have fallen by more than half. Progress in sub-Saharan Africa, which now accounts for half of all deaths, has been slower, but Niger, Malawi, Mozambique and Ethiopia have seen reductions of more than 100 per 1,000 livebirths since 1990. The report notes that despite big improvements in preventing malaria, one of the three main causes of deaths, much more needs to be done to treat the other two causes, pneumonia and diarrhoea."
A longer timeline chart from the New York Times below highlights on the secular trend of child mortality rate improvement...
The New York Times, (bold emphasis mine)
``The child mortality rate has declined by more than a quarter in the last two decades — to 65 per 1,000 live births last year from 90 in 1990 — in large part because of the widening distribution of relatively inexpensive technologies, like measles vaccines and anti-malaria mosquito nets.
``Other simple practices have helped, public health experts say, including a rise in breast-feeding alone for the first six months of life, which protects children from diarrhea caused by dirty water.
``Wealthy nations, international agencies and philanthropists like Bill and Melinda Gates have committed billions of dollars to the effort. Schoolchildren and church groups have also pitched in, paying for mosquito nets and feeding programs.
``Taken together, they have helped cut the number of children under 5 who died last year to 8.8 million — the lowest since records were first kept in 1960, Unicef said — from 12.5 million in 1990.
According to the Economist, (bold emphasis mine)``MORE children are surviving beyond their fifth birthday, according to a new report from the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef). The child mortality rate—the number of under-fives dying per thousand live births—declined from 90 in 1990 to 65 in 2008, a drop of over a quarter. The number of deaths has fallen from 12.5m in 1990 to 8.8m last year, the lowest since records began in 1960. The biggest improvements are in Latin America and the former Soviet Union, where mortality rates have fallen by more than half. Progress in sub-Saharan Africa, which now accounts for half of all deaths, has been slower, but Niger, Malawi, Mozambique and Ethiopia have seen reductions of more than 100 per 1,000 livebirths since 1990. The report notes that despite big improvements in preventing malaria, one of the three main causes of deaths, much more needs to be done to treat the other two causes, pneumonia and diarrhoea."
A longer timeline chart from the New York Times below highlights on the secular trend of child mortality rate improvement...
The New York Times, (bold emphasis mine)
``The child mortality rate has declined by more than a quarter in the last two decades — to 65 per 1,000 live births last year from 90 in 1990 — in large part because of the widening distribution of relatively inexpensive technologies, like measles vaccines and anti-malaria mosquito nets.
``Other simple practices have helped, public health experts say, including a rise in breast-feeding alone for the first six months of life, which protects children from diarrhea caused by dirty water.
``Wealthy nations, international agencies and philanthropists like Bill and Melinda Gates have committed billions of dollars to the effort. Schoolchildren and church groups have also pitched in, paying for mosquito nets and feeding programs.
``Taken together, they have helped cut the number of children under 5 who died last year to 8.8 million — the lowest since records were first kept in 1960, Unicef said — from 12.5 million in 1990.
Overall, globalization, greater informational flows and increased community based approaches have led to such tremendous gains.
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