The below strategies should follow to reduce infant mortality rate (IMR) in the developing countries like Bangladesh: A. (2008), 'Effect of a nutrition intervention during early childhood on economic productivity in One reason why we do not see progress is that we are unaware of how bad the past was.In 1800 the health conditions of our ancestors were such that 43% of the world's newborns died before their 5th birthday. These include include sanitation and hospital upgrades, and improving water supply, its distribution, and/or quality.            365-66. Hoddinott, John, et al. The symptoms are first expressed as fever, chills and vomiting, and can then progress to severe illness and death if not treated within 24 hours. Media Contact: Anne Bell (301) 998-6785 adb@usp.org. Second, policies that aim at promoting behavioural change, primarily through information and education. However, although death registration is virtually complete in these countries, reporting of cause of death is not uniform either among or within European countries or the United States (5,6). Zimbabweis one of the many countries that for years existed under the governance of the British monarch and Union Jack. 2. Diarrhea then leads to severe dehydration, which leads to death. By Carol Pearson. For example, community health workers are trained to detect pneumonia and the required treatment with the use of antibiotics. The majority of these deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where the child mortality rate is 175 per 1000 (compared to 6 per 1000 in industrialized countries). Pneumonia occurs when the air sacs in the lungs, the alveoli, are filled with pus and fluid. It can be treated with rehydration zinc supplements. Several studies combined handwashing promotion along with instructions regarding animal and child faeces. This mortality-reducing effect is most pronounced in the poorest countries, where infant mortality is very high. More than half of maternal deaths occur in fragile and humanitarian settings. More than a third of child mortality deaths occur in the first month of life and are related to pre-term birth, birth asphyxia (suffocation), and infections. – The Huffington Post, https://borgenproject.org/wp-content/uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.jpg, Causes of Child Mortality in Developing Countries, Education and Poverty: Critical Connections, Effect of Expulsion Plans on Hispaniola’s Poorest Citizens. As discussed below, most such deaths are preventable with low-cost measures. Seventy-five per cent of neonatal mortality occurs within the first week postpartum.           The Lancet, 375, 1969-87. The death of an infant before the age of 1 Can be naturally or medically caused The baby can be very healthy and die from an accident A developing country is a country that is poverty stricken that seeks a rise in socioeconomic level. Life Expectancy: Over the years, life expectancy has increased in developing countries due to … We focus on non-clinical interventions that both complement and serve as channels through which preventive clinical devices such as vaccine immunizations, and treatment innovations such as zinc supplements, oral rehydration salts, and antibiotic treatment of pneumonia, are enhanced. Since 1990—the year when Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG4) began to be monitored, and which called for a two-thirds reduction in the under-five mortality rates by 2015—developing countries have made important strides towards reducing child mortality. Top preventable child killers. The size of policy effectiveness is heterogenous. They also emphasize the importance of timely immunization and good nutrition. 5 Globally, the causes revolve around problems of prematurity, birth complications, neonatal sepsis, pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, malnutrition, and HIV. Additional age-disaggregated research is needed to clarify whether multi-faceted policies are more effective than single-focus interventions, as applied to samples consisting of young children. Assessing ‘what works’ in tackling the main cause of child morbidity and mortality is thus fundamental for effective policy actions. Acute respiratory infections, notably pneumonia, and diarrhoeal diseases are the first and second leading causes of death among young children, respectively. Many of the diseases that kill children younger than 5-years-old are caused by lack of access to healthcare facilities, improper hygiene and sanitation, unclean water and not enough food, and low levels of education and information. Chlorhexidine gel can help prevent umbilical cord infections, a leading cause of newborn deaths. RDS remains one of the most common causes of the 3 million annual neonatal deaths in the developing world. We focused on small children, notably neonatal, and the health interventions that target that population, as the share of under-5 mortality rates occurring at a very early age is increasing worldwide. Policies often include strategies to educate mothers on how to recognize pneumonia and to provide appropriate supportive measures. A lack of clean drinking water leads to dehydration and fluid volume depletion. (2010), 'Global, regional, and national causes of child mortality in 2008: a systematic analysis ', ReCom - research and communication on foreign aid, Clientelism – another reason to worry about US democracy. The maternal mortality ratio in developing countries in 2015 is 239 per 10… The absence of studies on non-clinical interventions is surprising considering the burden of disease from respiratory infections in the developing world. Despite this remarkable achievement, more than 19,000 children still die every day, most of them of preventable and treatable infectious diseases. ', WIDER Working Paper Series, WP/2013/087 (September). [Causes of infant-child mortality in Yaounde]. A turnaround began in 1980 when the country’s new, more stable government found itself capable of accomplishing quick economic growth. Although almost half of deaths globally among young children occur in a handful of countries, only a third of the existing research has been conducted in one of these countries. The major determinants of the high levels of maternal mortality were the standard of care at delivery and the virulence of Streptococcus pyogenes, which caused almost all deaths from puerperal fever. This makes breathing difficult, and does not allow the infected person to intake enough oxygen. Pneumonia and diarrhoea alone lead to 1.6 and 1.3 million child deaths per year respectively, amounting to almost 3 million deaths in total. According to statistics from the CDC, the primary causes of injury in infants … Developing Countries Tackle Mother, Infant Mortality. On the other end of the spectrum … And the United States Foreign Assistance Act stipulates the reduction of infant mortality as a key criterion by which to assess a country’s commitment to the development process. Assessing ‘what works’ in tackling the main cause of child morbidity and mortality is thus fundamental for effective policy actions. The fact that a large proportion of child deaths are caused by preventable and treatable infectious diseases is symptomatic of dysfunctional health systems in the developing world. In least-developed countries (LDC) a primary cause of infant mortality is poor quality of water. Those who are malnourished have weaker immune systems and are therefore at a higher risk of dying from pneumonia. Early malnutrition is also linked to poor cognitive functioning and learning capacity, which in the longer term leads to lower labour productivity, and poverty (Grosse and Roy 2008; Hoddinott et al. [Article in French] Kuate Defo B. PIP: This study identifies the causes of infant and child mortality (EMIJ) in Yaounde, Cameroon based on findings from The Institute de Formation et de Recherche Demographique (IFORD) survey that took place from January 1, 1978 to January 31, 1980. Pneumonia Water quality interventions to remove microbial contaminants—either at source or in the household—are frequently paired with the provision of improved water storage vessels. As shown in Figure 5, 86% of newborn deaths in developing countries are due to infections, prematurity or its complications, and perinatal asphyxia and birth injuries. Diarrhoeal Disease Each year, diarrhea kills 760,000 children under the age of 5. Other countries are considered to be fragile in which there is a maternal mortality rate of 1 in 54 women. Non-clinical interventions are fundamental and complementary to recent global and national efforts to scale up preventive and treatment clinical interventions (see the right-hand side of Figure 3). 2010). 2008). High maternal mortality wa… In our paper we mostly focus on non-clinical interventions although both types of policies, clinical and non-clinical should be seen as an integral part of public health strategies to tackle preventable and treatable childhood diseases in developing countries. October 2013 Acute respiratory infections, notably pneumonia, and diarrhoeal diseases are the first and second leading causes of death among young children… What Do We Know About Non-Clinical Interventions for Preventable and Treatable Childhood Diseases in Developing Countries? These estimates are shown in the visualisation below.In 1960 child mortality was still 18.5%. Infant Mortality: A Breastfeeding Proposal According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 2013, approximately 73% of all deaths of children under five years old occurred during the first twelve months of life.This number was highest in Africa where the under one year old death rate approached 63 deaths per 1000 lives. The six most preventable causes of death for children younger than 5 are: Newborn infections, malaria, sepsis, measles (13% of deaths) Childhood malnutrition is an underlying cause of 45% of all deaths among children younger than 5, … Drinking water that has been contaminated by fecal material or other infectious organisms can cause life-threatening diarrhea and vomiting in infants. In developed countries until the mid-1930s, maternal mortality rates were high. Child mortality rates are decreasing, but there is still work to be done. 6 In the US, the five leading causes of infant mortality include low birth weight (LBW), birth defects, maternal peripartum … Interventions focused on respiratory infections typically include health worker training components in addition to health education for mothers. Unicef (2012), 'Levels and Trends in Child Mortality', (New York: United Nations Children's Fund). India and Nigeria alone account for more than one-third of  child deaths worldwide. These types of non-clinical interventions are depicted in the first column on the left-hand side of Figure 3, and are often enhanced by being combined with other policies. Miguel Niño-Zarazúa is a Research Fellow at UNU-WIDER, WIDERAngle newsletter ISSN 1238-9544. The infant mortality rate in developing countries can be reduced by training health workers and midwives to provide mothers and babies with the lifesaving support they need to survive.           (Geneva: World Health Organization). For example, policies that target diarrhoeal incidence show a reduction rate that range from 18 to 61 per cent. Much of the reduction in child mortality rates have been attributed to, and analysed in the context of, clinical interventions, particularty those devoted to increase the distribution of rotavirus vaccines, zinc supplements and oral rehydration salts solutions to prevent and treat diahorrea, and antibiotics and immunization against haemophilus influenza type B, pneumococcus, measles and whooping cough (pertussis) to treat and prevent pneumonia. Figure 3: Clinical and non-clinical interventions against childhood diseases in developing countries. Non-Hispanic Black mothers experience the highest infant mortality rate among all racial and ethnic groups (10.97 infant deaths per 1,000 live births), as well as the highest rates of preterm birth (delivery before 37 weeks of gestation) and low birth weight, both of which are leading causes of infant … The New England Journal of Medicine stated that "The lowest mortality rates occur among infants weighing 3,000 to 3,500 g (6.6 to 7.7 lb). Since diarrhea leads to malnourishment, those who are already weakened by the disease are likely to contract it again. In Africa, where the highest numbers of deaths per 1,000 live births are registered among children aged 5 and younger, there has been remarkable reductions in mortality rates due to diarrhoreal diseases and acute lower respiratory infections (see Figures 1 and 2). So, what works against preventable and treatable childhood diseases? The leading causes of infant deaths vary from developed to developing countries. In 2015 child mortality was down t… While pneumonia can be treated with antibiotics, only one third of the children infected with pneumonia get the antibiotics necessary to cure them. again calls more for a thorough cultural transformation of the least privileged social categories than for the discovery of new therapies or increased expenditure on hospitals. 1988 Dec;12(2):65-95. Over the last 20 years, child mortality rates have fallen considerably, from 87 deaths per 1,000 live births to 51. The issue of maternal death in developing countries is an often unaddressed and urgent need. Pneumonia is also more likely to affect those who have pre-existing illnesses such as HIV, who live in an area where levels of indoor air pollution are high because of cooking with biomass fuels like wood or dung, who live in crowded homes, or those who have parents who smoke. In Africa, a child dies every minute from malaria, a disease caused by parasites. A number of interventions aim at improving the allocation of resources and/or infrastructure. The comparison of Middle Eastern and African countries sheds some initial light on the link between economic growth and infant mortality. However, much less is known about the effectiveness of non-clinical interventions such as education and training programmes, and/or improved sanitation, water supply, water quality, and hospital equipment. Malaria From the studies, the probability of having a 15-year-old woman dying due to the maternal cause is 1 in 180 women in developing countries while that of the developed countries is 1 in 4900. About 15 percent of child mortality deaths are caused by pneumonia. Pneumonia Only comparison of all-cause mortality among developed countries is likely to be accurate.