Born On A Cusp

Good news from Unicef: Fewer children under the age of five are dying because of improvements in health services. Across the globe, according to Unicef, more aggressive immunisation drives, increased breastfeeding, and anti-malaria programs are bringing down child mortality rates.

For the first time, the number of young children who died in 2006 dropped below 10 million worldwide, the United Nations agency said. (That figure was 13 million in 1990.)

Still, most of those deaths recorded in 2006 could have been prevented, which only means that much more needs to be done. Statistics from fifty countries were compiled for the Unicef report.

Here in India, under-five mortality rates dropped to 73 per 1,000 live births in 2006, from 94 per 1,000 in 1990. Unicef calls the decline “extremely good news,” though, it hastens to add, such proportion still translates to a huge 1.9 million deaths. What makes the Indian situation even more worrisome is that India being such a large country — and with progress across the regions in such stark contrast — some states are advancing much faster than others.

But good news is good news, and Unicef credits India’s success in pulling down child mortality rates to higher health budgets, investments in the health sector, facilities, and health workers.