UNICEF: Child mortality reaches record low

Global deaths of children under the age of 5 reached a record low of 9.7 million this past year, falling below 10 million per year for the first time, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund. Total global child deaths were almost 13 million in 1990.

UNICEF credits simple, low-cost interventions, applied on a mass scale, with dramatic gains in child survival:

• Immunizations for measles, polio, and other childhood diseases.
• Micronutrient deficiency prevention and treatment.
• Clean water and oral rehydration salt packets to treat dehydration and diarrhea.
• Malaria and AIDS prevention.

One example of low-cost, mass interventions is the Kiwanis International Worldwide Service Project to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders (IDD), the world’s leading preventable cause of mental and physical retardation during prenatal development and infancy.

Partnering with UNICEF in 1994, Kiwanis pledged to raise the funds needed to produce iodized salt and ensure its use in developing nations. Kiwanis’ initial goal of US$75 million was surpassed in 2001. Kiwanis has granted funds to support IDD projects in almost 100 nations.

"We'd like to thank the members of Kiwanis for the part each of you has played in helping to make this a reality,” says Caryl M. Stern, President and CEO of the US Fund for UNICEF. “Malnutrition remains an underlying factor in 50 percent of all child deaths. And as Kiwanians well know, iodine deficiency is the world’s most preventable cause of impaired cognitive development in children. IDD can start before birth, jeopardizing children’s mental health and, often, their very survival.

“UNICEF’s relentless focus on saving children's lives will continue until we reach the day when no mother has to grieve the loss of her baby to malaria, diarrhea, measles, pneumonia, or a micronutrient deficiency. We are extremely grateful for the historic role Kiwanis has played in saving and enhancing the lives of millions of children in the developing world."