Child Deaths At Record Low
By: Web Producer
Updated: September 13, 2007
Child Deaths At Record Low
For the first time since 1960, the number of deaths of young children around the world has fallen to below ten-million a year.
The "New York Times" reports the figures will be released later today by the United Nations Childrens Fund.
UNICEF officials say the public health victory stems from campaigns against measles, malaria and bottle-feeding along with improvements in the world economies outside Africa.
Executive Director of UNICEF Ann Veneman calls the drop to nine-point-seven-million deaths a, quote, "historic moment." Veneman contends its a step in the right direction towards the UN Millennium Development Goal of cutting that rate in 1990 by two-thirds by 2015.
She called most of these deaths "preventable" and the solutions are "tried and tested."
The new estimate by UNICEF officials comes from household surveys done in or before 2005.
That is before the huge influx of money pouring into third world health over the last few years from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Gates Foundation and the Bush administrations twin programs to fight AIDS and malaria.
Officials say for that reason, the next five-year survey should show even greater improvement.
(Copyright 2007 by Newsroom Solutions/Regional News Service)
RNS-09-13-07 0325CDT
