More columns By David Suzuki
We in North America naturally fear for the welfare of our children. Like
other parents around the world, we are concerned about their safety, about
disease and injury. We want to protect them from harm. But unlike in many
other regions, almost all of our children will survive past the age of five.
Every year, more than 10 million children under that age die. Most die from preventable illnesses and, remarkably, the situation is getting worse, not better.
Medical experts writing in a current series of reports for the medical
journal The Lancet describe the health of the world's children as
"abysmal." Worldwide mortality for children had been falling by 2.5 per
cent per year from 1960 to 1990. But in the years since, that has been
reduced by more than half. And the disparity between rich and poor nations
is growing. In 1990, industrialized nations had a childhood (under the age
of five) death rate of less than one per cent, compared to 18 per cent in
sub-Saharan Africa. In 2000, sub-Saharan Africans were still losing nearly
18 per cent of their children, while parents in industrialized nations were
seeing 99.4 per cent of theirs survive. In other words, children under five
in sub-Saharan Africa are 29 times more likely to die than are those in
developed nations.
Just six countries, India, Nigeria, China, Pakistan, the Congo and
Ethiopia, account for more than half of all child deaths. Even within these
countries, great disparities exist. For example, most of the deaths occur
in rural areas, but death rates in urban slums are especially high. And
although these countries account for the greatest total number of child
deaths, the countries with the highest death rates are actually quite
different. Sierra Leone, Niger, Angola and Afghanistan all see more than 25
per cent of their children die before the age of five. Their smaller
populations just put them lower on a scale of absolute numbers.
Immediate causes of death vary from region to region. Overall, 33 per cent are due to neonatal (post-birth) problems like infection, 22 per cent are from diarrhea, 21 per cent are from pneumonia, nine per cent from malaria, three per cent from AIDS and one per cent from measles. The report authors point out that these health problems often act in "synergy" with each other, which means that together they have a higher death rate than either acting alone.
Another case of synergy appears with malnourishment. Chronically
undernourished children are far more likely to succumb to disease compared
to those children who are of adequate nutrition. In total, 53 per cent of
all child deaths can be attributed to being underweight. Infants who have
not been breastfed are also at greater risk. They are five times more
likely to die from both diarrhea and pneumonia. Children deficient in
vitamin A and zinc face increased mortality rates as well.
In spite of promises by the United Nations to reduce child deaths 60 per
cent by 2015, funding for child health programs has actually dropped to its
lowest levels since 1995. The authors of The Lancet report surmise that
$7.5 billion is needed per year to adequately improve children's health in
developing nations. It will be a complex process, as the profile of child
deaths differs remarkably from country to country and region to region.
Attempts to reduce death rates cannot use a simple blanket approach if they
are to be effective. They need to be based on sound science and good data.
Both of which require money.
When North Americans are reaching record levels of obesity, it is absurd
that more than half of all childhood deaths are spurred by hunger. It is
equally absurd that in today's "globalized" world, where you can buy a Coke
practically anywhere, children are still denied basic medical care. We must
find the courage to change our priorities because children everywhere
deserve to look forward to a future past the age of five.
