Save the Children USA Announces Initiative To Reduce Child Mortality Worldwide
Save the Children
Westport, Conn. (Friday, September 7) - Save the Children announced a new global initiative, chaired by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill
Frist, M.D., to save the lives of millions of children who die each year from treatable or preventable causes in developing countries. Called Survive to 5, the new initiative will seek to
reduce the staggering number of deaths of children under 5 - currently estimated at more than 10 million a year. Health experts estimate that as many as 6 million children could be saved if a package
of low-cost health interventions were made more readily available to children and their families. Frist aunched the new initiative at Save the Children's 75th anniversary benefit on 6
September at Lincoln Center in New York City. Former Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton and Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, attended the benefit as honorees."We've already identified the cost-efficient solutions that can save millions of children's lives," Frist said. "The next step is mobilizing Americans' compassion
to make it happen." Besides seeking additional resources to help children survive the first five years of life, Frist said the initiative would seek to mobilize private sector
partnerships, schools, corporate and community groups and prominent individuals to speak out on the issue. "We want to get everyone talking about saving children's lives - from CEOs to third
graders. As Americans grow to understand how easily we can provide hope to millions of children, they will demand action," he said. "With Senator Frist leading this campaign-and
with the support of millions of Americans who share his desire to save children's lives-I am convinced that we can dramatically reduce child mortality rates worldwide," said Save the Children
President and CEO Charles MacCormack. The announcement of the Survive to 5 initiative follows a series of highly publiciced reports by Save the Children US over the past 18 months focusing
on the need to reduce alarmingly high child and newborn mortality rates. Among the reports' major findings:• The three biggest killers of children under 5 worldwide are pneumonia,
diarrhea and birth complications. Twenty percent of all deaths of children under 5 - 2 million children each year - take place within the first 24 hours of life. • Child and maternal
death rates are highest in the poorest, most disadvantaged places. Nearly all under-5 and maternal deaths (99 percent) occur in developing countries in settings of poverty, where children are most
vulnerable to diseases and malnutrition. The highest rates are in Africa and South Asia.
• The majority of child deaths occur in just 10 countries, many with large populations (such as
China and India) and others with very high child mortality rates (such as Afghanistan, Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo). • Egypt, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nepal and the
Philippines have made the most progress since 1990 in reducing child mortality rates among 60 countries that pose the greatest risks to children under 5. In contrast, Iraq, Botswana, Zimbabwe and
Swaziland have seen the largest increases in child mortality rates since 1990. Recommendations: To succeed in saving the lives of children under 5, Save the Children recommends
that developing countries: • Invest in basic, low-cost solutions to save children's lives. The most dangerous threats to children's survival can be fought with relatively simple
and inexpensive solutions. Breastfeeding provides nutrition and improves immunity to often life-threatening illnesses common to infants. Immunizations protect children from measles and other diseases.
Oral rehydration therapy can save a child from dying of dehydrating diarrhea. Antibiotics treat pneumonia. Insecticide-treated mosquito nets help prevent malaria. • Make health care
available to the poorest and most vulnerable mothers and children. Childbirth can be made much safer if mothers and newborns receive care from trained health workers before, during and after delivery.
In remote, hard-to-reach communities, diarrhea and many cases of pneumonia can be treated by training community-based health workers close to where children live. • Increase funding and
improve strategies to provide basic, effective, lifesaving services to those who need it most. Basic health systems and services in developing countries are underfunded. To increase access to
services, poor countries need new strategies that bring health information and health care right into villages in need. Save the Children is calling on governments to increase their
political and financial support for proven solutions that save the lives of mothers, children and newborns. MacCormack noted that the U.S. government, once a leader on the child survival movement,
should demonstrate leadership toward these goals by passing legislation that would authorize increased resources and require a comprehensive U.S. strategy for improving maternal, newborn, and child
health. "It only costs a few dollars to protect young children from conditions that disable or kill millions each year," said MacCormack. "With modest increases in funding, we
can help countries reach the poorest with child survival and maternal health services. The United States can provide the leadership that will give mothers and children new hope and opportunity to lead
healthy and productive lives," he said.For more information on Survive to 5, visit our website at www.savethechildren.orgSave the Children is the leading independent
organisation that creates lasting change for children in need around the world. Save the Children USA is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, a global network of 28 independent
Save the Children organisations working to ensure the well-being and protection of children in more than 120 countries. Media Contacts:
Mike Kiernan, Cell: +1-202-460-0614,
Office: +1-202-261-4686, mkiernan@savechildren.org
Eileen Burke, Cell: +1-203-241-9722, Office: +1-203-216-0718, eburke@savechildren.org
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
