Millions of children dying from preventable causes, report reveals

"No child should die from diseases that we know how to prevent. But we see worrying signs that progress in child survival is slowing and at a time where we're seeing further global budget cuts, said Unicef executive director Catherine Russell."

"Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have persistently had the worst rates of child death, in large part due to deaths of newborns, who made up almost half of the total number of children who died under five. The most common causes were premature birth, pneumonia and trauma suffered by the child during birth."

"We are not moving far enough or fast enough and leaving 5 million [children] under the age of five vulnerable, said Abdurahman Sharif, senior humanitarian affairs director at Save the Children. Aid cuts are leading to increasing preventable deaths, threatening the continuity of lifesaving services at a time when needs are increasing."

Nearly 4.9 million children died in 2024, with the majority of deaths preventable through adequate health system investment and vaccinations. Progress toward eliminating preventable child deaths by 2030 has decelerated 60% since 2015. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia experience the highest mortality rates, with newborns comprising almost half of deaths in children under five. Leading causes include premature birth, pneumonia, birth trauma, and infectious diseases like malaria. Severe acute malnutrition directly caused 100,000 deaths and contributed to many others. Global aid cuts are closing lifesaving facilities and reversing decades of progress, leaving millions of children vulnerable to preventable deaths.

Read at www.theguardian.com