Causes of Child Mortality (Under 5)
In India, the leading causes of child mortality are often related to preventable factors. Common contributors include:
- Malnutrition: Inadequate access to proper nutrition can lead to stunted growth and increased vulnerability to diseases.
- Infectious Diseases: Diseases like pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria remain significant contributors to child mortality, often exacerbated by poor sanitation and lack of access to healthcare.
- Lack of Immunization: Preventable diseases like measles and polio can lead to child mortality if vaccination coverage is inadequate.
- Poor Maternal Health: Complications during pregnancy and childbirth can impact the health of both mothers and newborns.
- Limited Access to Healthcare: Insufficient access to quality healthcare services, particularly in rural areas, can delay or prevent timely medical interventions.
Addressing these factors requires a comprehensive approach involving healthcare improvements, nutritional interventions, vaccination campaigns, and increased access to quality healthcare services. The two most significant causes of death were premature birth complications and pneumonia. While Diarrhoea was the third leading cause in the Northeast region which had the highest under-5 mortality.
Child MortalityMeasures to Tackle the Child Mortality Rate
Child Mortality: Though the current Child Mortality rate dropped by 59% since 1990, from 93 deaths per 1000 live births in 1990 to 38 in 2021, Child Mortality is still one of the major challenges to the World. According to the Latest data for 2020, the Child Mortality rate of Somalia is 114.6%, leading top in this list, followed by Nigeria (113.8%), and Chad (110%). Among the continents, the Child Mortality rate of Africa is the highest in the world at 74 deaths per 1000 live births, and it is 14 times higher than the total Child Mortality rate of Europe and North America.
In this article, you will read about child mortality, its causes, steps to handle it, and the child mortality rate in India.
Table of Content
- What is Child Mortality?
- Child Mortality Rate in India
- Causes of Child Mortality (Under 5)
- State-wise Child Mortality Rate in India
- Steps Taken by the Government to Tackle Child Mortality
- Recent Statistics and Data on Child Mortality Rate in India