The global mortality rate for children under five has fallen by 60 percent over the past four decades, reported the UK ’s medical magazine “The Lancet” on May 24.
The magazine published research conducted across 187 countries, showing that child mortality rates, including new-borns, have dropped to 7.7 million in 2010 from 11.9 million in 1990.
The UN millennium goals call for a reduction of 66 percent in child mortality rates by 2015.
The research made it clear that 31 countries are close to their millennium goals on child mortality, laid out by the UN for 2015, including Brazil , Mexico , Malaysia and Egypt .
Professor Christopher Murray, the Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in the US and a co-author of the research, described it as one the greatest achievements recorded in global health for the past 20 years, as the countries with the highest child mortality rates have made surprising progress in this field.
Although the child mortality gap between developing and developed countries is narrowing, the rate in developing countries remains much higher than that of developed and rich nations, according to the research.
The team of researchers attributed the achievement to immunisation programmes as well as preventive measures against the transmission of HIV from mothers to newborns and other contagious diseases./.
The magazine published research conducted across 187 countries, showing that child mortality rates, including new-borns, have dropped to 7.7 million in 2010 from 11.9 million in 1990.
The UN millennium goals call for a reduction of 66 percent in child mortality rates by 2015.
The research made it clear that 31 countries are close to their millennium goals on child mortality, laid out by the UN for 2015, including Brazil , Mexico , Malaysia and Egypt .
Professor Christopher Murray, the Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in the US and a co-author of the research, described it as one the greatest achievements recorded in global health for the past 20 years, as the countries with the highest child mortality rates have made surprising progress in this field.
Although the child mortality gap between developing and developed countries is narrowing, the rate in developing countries remains much higher than that of developed and rich nations, according to the research.
The team of researchers attributed the achievement to immunisation programmes as well as preventive measures against the transmission of HIV from mothers to newborns and other contagious diseases./.
