International surveys reveal solid progress on child survival, but Belize struggles to keep pace Excellent!Very GoodGoodFairPoor Rating: (0 votes) Posted: 14/09/2007 - 11:35 AM Author: - press release - Figures released today show that the world has made solid progress on child survival, including a decline in the annual number of under-five deaths, according to UNICEF. Globally, child deaths have reached a record low, falling below 10 million per year to 9.7 million, down from almost 13 million in 1990.   “This is a historic moment,” said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman. “More children are surviving today than ever before. Now we must build on this public health success to push for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.”   Among these goals is a commitment to a two-thirds reduction in child mortality between 1990 and 2015, which would save an additional 5.4 million children by 2015.   Rapid declines in under-five mortality have been seen in Latin America and the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS), and East Asia and the Pacific. The new figures are drawn from a range of national data sources and the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) – conducted from 2005 to 2006 in over 50 countries.   However, Belize faces several challenges that see it struggling to keep pace with the global trends. The under-five mortality rate in Belize for the year 2006 (24.8 per 1,000 live births) is just below the average among Latin American and Caribbean countries. Compared to the rest of Central American countries, the under-five mortality rate in Belize is among the lowest but when compared to the Caribbean countries, Belize is among the highest rates. Examples of the under-five mortality rate in other countries are Guatemala 86, Mexico 46, Jamaica 20, and Barbados 17. In Belize, the Stann Creek and Toledo districts have ratios higher than the country average.   The Ministry of Health, UNICEF and other partners are collaborating and strengthening key interventions to reduce the under-five mortality rate. These include: the reintroduction in 2006 of the baby friendly hospital initiative to increase the number of exclusively breastfed children; the implementation of the integrated management of childhood illnesses; growth promotion at the community level and access to micronutrients supplementation to reduce malnutrition among children; sustained program to increase number of babies delivered by skilled birth attendants; prevention program to reduce vertical transmission of HIV; and routine access by children and other target population to twelve different vaccines.   Premature birth, congenital abnormalities, acute respiratory infections, traffic accidents and injuries are leading causes of death of Belizean children under the age of five. Hospitalization among children ages one to four is mainly caused by intestinal infections, respiratory illnesses and injuries. The multi-factorial and multi-faceted nature of these causes mean that all sectors of society – families, communities, the health sector, government and civil society – will need to work together to ensure the survival of Belize’s youngest citizens.   According to Dr. Natalia Largaespada Beer – Ministry of Health’s Maternal and Child Health Technical Advisor, to stabilize the under-five mortality rates, there needs to be an increase in early access to prenatal care, strengthening of the health sector response, increased access to family planning services, and interventions to address child neglect and family violence.