10 mln kids under 5 die a year from treatable illness

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10 mln kids under 5 die a year from treatable illness

Posted: 2008/05/08

From: Mathaba

Nearly 10 million of the 200 million children worldwide under age 5 who do

not get basic health care die from treatable illnesses such as diarrhea and

pneumonia, a U.S.-based charity said Wednesday.

Nearly all of the deaths occur in the developing world, with poor children

facing twice the risk of dying compared to richer children, according to

Save the Children's global report.

Sweden, Norway and Iceland top the ranking in terms of well-being for

mothers and children in 146 countries surveyed, while Nigeria ranks last.

Eight out of 10 bottom-ranked countries are in sub-Saharan Africa, where

four out of five mothers are likely to lose a child in their lifetime, Save

the Children said.

The top three among the 55 developing countries ranked in the survey are the

Philippines, Peru and South Africa — all surveyed for the first time.

Indonesia and Turkmenistan tied for fourth.

Laos, Yemen, Chad, Somalia and Ethiopia were found doing the worst among

developing countries, the report said.

An alarming number of countries are failing to provide the most basic health

services that would save lives, with 30 percent of children in developing

countries not getting basic health intervention such as prenatal care,

skilled assistance during birth, immunizations and treatment for diarrhea

and pneumonia.

Use of existing, low-cost tools and knowledge could save more than 6 million

of the 9.7 million children who die yearly from easily preventable or

curable causes, the report said.

They include antibiotics that cost less than 30 U.S. Cents to treat

pneumonia, the top killer of children under 5, and oral rehydration therapy

— a simple solution of salt, sugar and potassium — for diarrhea, the second

top killer.