Why Are The Children Dying - Unicef

More than nine million children died last year before their fifth birthday, says a report by United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF).

This shows that efforts to reduce child mortality remains inadequate in some parts of the world, he adds.

The report, published in the journal The Lancet, shows that since 1990 has been a 28% reduction in rates of child deaths.

But the organization warn s that many of the world's poorest countries will not achieve the millennium goals for development that provide for a reduction of 60% for 2015. UNICEF say this is worse in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

But in total, died last year 9.2 million children under five worldwide.

Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean and the countries of East Asia and the Pacific have reduced mortality rates among children under five years in more than 50% since 1990.

Yet during the same period, deaths in western and central Africa have fallen by only 18% in sub-Saharan Africa 21% and in eastern and southern Africa 26%.

In Sierra Leone, the country with the worst mortality rate among children under five years worldwide, 262 die for every 1,000 children before their fifth birthday.

Meanwhile, in the industrialized countries that number is only six deaths per 1,000 children.

Several countries, notably Bangladesh, Nepal and Bolivia have reduced their mortality rate by 50% since 1990.

There have been "significant progress" in parts of Africa, eg Malawi, Mozambique, Niger and Ethiopia, where the reduction was over 40%.

The main cause of child mortality, UNICEF says it remains malnutrition, which causes more than 90% of deaths.

And while there has also been progress in the reduction of malnourished children in the developing world, UNICEF estimated that there are still some 148 million of them in these countries.

"To ensure that these children have the opportunity to survive," says the report, we must step up efforts to address the nutritional needs of women and children. "

And HIV and AIDS also have a significant impact on child mortality, the report said.

The strategies that have been carried out in areas such as immunization programs or access to insecticide-treated nets to prevent malaria, have been effective.

But there has been a "disappointing" service coverage to treat pneumonia and diarrhea, the document said.

"Progress is still 'extremely poor'," say the authors, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

"And it's key to work to improve sanitation, nutrition, HIV prevention and data collection systems," they add.

Since 1960 the overall mortality of children under five has dropped by more than 60,

And the data show that this downward trend continues. The official added that "there have been encouraging improvements in many of the basic health strategies, including programs for breastfeeding, measles immunization and vitamin A supplementation.

"We hope that these interventions result in further reductions in infant mortality in the coming years,"