In defence of children and their rights
Théodore H MacDonald, Noël A Kinsella, John A Gibson in The Global Human Right to Health, 2018
The issue of infant mortality is complex because different countries have often defined the key indicators differently. Since 1990, the World Health Organization has used the following definitions, and most countries have fallen into line with regard to these. Infant mortality is the death of infants within the first year of life. In the LDCs, the leading causes of infant mortality are dehydration and waterborne diseases. In the First World, the major causes of infant mortality are congenital malformation, infection and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Infant mortality can be subdivided as follows. Perinatal mortality refers to deaths between the age of fetal viability (defined as 28 weeks of pregnancy or 1,000 g body weight) and the end of the 7th day of life.Neonatal mortality refers to deaths in the first 27 days of life.Postnatal death refers to deaths between the ages of 28 days and 1 year.Child mortality refers to deaths within the first 5 years of life.
Water for hygiene *
Jamie Bartram, Rachel Baum, Peter A. Coclanis, David M. Gute, David Kay, Stéphanie McFadyen, Katherine Pond, William Robertson, Michael J. Rouse in Routledge Handbook of Water and Health, 2015
Studies that assessed the impact of water quantity improvements on diarrhoea morbidity found median disease reductions ranging from 20 to 25 per cent (Esrey et al., 1991; Fewtrell et al., 2005; Waddington et al., 2009), most likely driven by better hygiene with more available water. Distance to the water source determines ease of water availability and positively impacts on hygiene (Cairncross and Feachem, 1983; see also Chapter 18). In Burkina Faso, a tapstand in the yard resulted in a threefold increase in hygienic behaviours in comparison with those using wells outside the compound and a twofold increase in hygienic behaviours over mothers who used either public standpipes or wells within the yard (Curtis et al., 1995). Pickering and Davis (2012) analysed demographic and health survey data from 26 countries and determined that a 15-minute decrease in the one-way walk time to water source was associated with a 41 per cent average relative reduction in diarrhoea prevalence, improved anthropometric indicators of child nutritional status, and a 11 per cent relative reduction in under-five child mortality. It is easy to relate to this quote made in a focus group discussion on WASH from a mother in Eastern Indonesia. ‘I will not let my kids wash their hands unless we have enough water as getting water is difficult and our priority is for drinking and cooking’ (UNICEF, 2014b).
The Medical Examiner Service and Child Death Reviews
Jason Payne-James, Suzy Lishman in The Medical Examiner Service, 2023
Child mortality can be subdivided into neonatal mortality (deaths below 28 days of age), infant mortality (deaths below 1 year of age) and child mortality, which includes deaths of all individuals up to their 18th birthday. There are approximately 5000 deaths in children aged 0–18 years each year in the UK, with 3347 child deaths occurring in England in the year to 31 March 2020.2 There has been a decline in infant and child deaths in the last decades but the UK rates remain above those of many Western European countries. In 2012 more than 3000 children died before the age of 1. In 2019, there were 2390 infant deaths (under 1 year) and 907 deaths in children aged 1–15 years in England and Wales.3 Both the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) provide regular insights into the patterns of child death, and the NCMD now generates data and reports to inform understanding and learning. It is helpful for MEs to know the main learning from such reviews to help inform their thoughts on individual cases.
An overview of rotavirus vaccination programs in developing countries
Published in Expert Review of Vaccines, 2020
Benjamin D. Hallowell, Jacqueline Tate, Umesh Parashar
A systematic review utilizing data from 57 studies and 27 countries globally found even greater declines after vaccine introduction, with a median 38% reduction in all-cause AGE hospitalizations and/or ED visits among children <5 years overall, and a 41%, 30%, and 46% reduction in countries with low, medium, and high child mortality strata, respectively, [50]. AGE mortality among children <5 years also declined 42% overall (medium and high mortality strata only), with a 50% decline in medium and 36% decline in high child mortality strata [50]. When looking at rotavirus-specific hospitalizations and/or ED visits among children <5 years, the impact was even greater with a 67% overall decline, and 71%, 59%, and 60% decline in countries with low, medium, and high child mortality strata, respectively, [50].
Community-acquired pneumonia: aetiology, antibiotic resistance and prospects of phage therapy
Published in Journal of Chemotherapy, 2020
Md. Moinuddin Sheam, Shifath Bin Syed, Zulkar Nain, Swee- Seong Tang, Dipak Kumar Paul, Kazi Rejvee Ahmed, Sudhangshu Kumar Biswas
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is an acute lung infection caused by the pathogens inhabiting the human community, not from the health care setting.1 Pneumonia is the leading cause of child mortality in developing countries that results in ⁓1 million deaths annually2 and CAP is the sixth leading cause of death in the USA.3 In intubated patients, the mortality rate due to CAP can be as high as 25%.4 Also, 2.4% of hospital-admitted CAP patients die within 72 hours of admission.5 Besides, CAP infection has long-term harmful impacts on patients regardless of their ages.6 The most frequent bacteria influenced CAP are Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chalamydophila pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Legionella spp.7 Among Legionella spp, Legionella pneumophila is the most predominant cause of CAP and related problems.8 Furthermore, several studies suggested Klebsiella pneumoniae as a significant cause of CAP.9–11 Recently, antibiotic resistance has become a global health concern and there is a continuous failure in developing new antibiotics.12 If there are no measures taken, infections caused by MDR pathogens can kill ⁓10 million people per year by 2050.13 CAP agents that are resistant to multiple classes of antibiotics have been reported earlier.14–16 Therefore, an alternative or a supplement to conventional antibiotics is sorely needed.
Current Status of Thalassemia in Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Published in Hemoglobin, 2022
Alongkone Phengsavanh, Sourideth Sengchanh, Chanthala Souksakhone, Boupalisone Souvanlasy, Vanphanom Sychareun
Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) is a small landlocked country, located in Southeast Asia, sharing borders with Thailand, Myanmar, China, Vietnam and Cambodia. Lao PDR is classified into the list of low to middle income countries. Health outcomes such as life expectancy in Lao PDR have improved significantly (Table 1). Compared to women, men have a lower life expectancy of 66.43 years than the average (68.22 years), and lower than that of women’s that was 70.6 years in 2020 [1]. Improvements have also been observed in the total fertility rate that was reduced from 6.30% to 2.65% between 2011 and 2018. The contraceptive prevalence rate was 54.1% [2]. Child mortality was 48.4 per 1000 live births in 2018. The maternal mortality ratio was 167 per 100,000 live births in 2019 [2,3]. However, it remains high compared to the rest of the region. The nutritional status of children under 5 years remains challenging and a priority for the government. For instance, 32.5% of children under the age of 5 have low height for their age and 20.5% were underweight for their age in 2019.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Child
- Malaria
- Malnutrition
- Mortality Rate
- Neonatal Sepsis
- Perinatal Mortality
- Pneumonia
- Diarrhea
- Preterm Birth
- Undernutrition In Children