Children born in Kenya and the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa are at highest risk of childhood death in the world. Data from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has found that Kenyan children are 15 times more at risk of death than children in Europe and Northern America, and 19 times more at risk than children in Australia and New Zealand.
This comes even as data released by the Kenya Ministry of Health (MoH) in November last year showed that the infant mortality rate in the country reduced to 32.9 deaths per 1,000 live births from 34.056 deaths per 1000 live births in 2020.
This means that there has been a 30 per cent decline in the number of children dying before their fifth birthday in the country, with the progress being attributed to better and improved breastfeeding practices as well as increased uptake of Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS ) and Zinc which the government says has helped deal with diarrhoea in children under five years.
The health ministry further explained that introduction of new childhood vaccines such as pneumococcal and rotavirus combined with the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and the increase of skilled birth attendants also contributed to the reduction of deaths in children.
“Although vaccines and other preventative efforts are easing the burden of the disease, much more work is still required,” Health CS Susan Wafula said.
Dr Caroline Mwangi, who heads the neonatal and child health division at the ministry, said that pneumonia is still the number one killer disease among children in the country.
“Those who are living in poor communities are at the highest risk of pneumonia. This is why every child, regardless of where they are born, deserves access to vaccines and medicine.”
Speaking to the Nation on Thursday, Dr Mwangi revealed that although the Kenya Health Information Systems (KHIS) data shows that the rate of stillbirths in the country is now at 18 deaths per 1000 live births, new data will be released next week.
“Neonatal mortality rate is at 22 deaths per 1000 live births, under five mortality rate at 52 deaths per 1000 live births while infant mortality rate is currently at 39 deaths per 1000 live births according to the Kenya Demographics Health Survey (KDHS).”
The head of neonatal and child health division at the health ministry further disclosed that the government has collaborated with county governments to develop policies and guidelines including training of healthcare providers in a bid to reduce the rate of stillbirths, neonatal deaths as well as child morbidity and mortality.
“We call for increased resource allocation at both national and county levels to enhance implementation of these high impact interventions to reduce our mortality rates as the country aims to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” she told the Nation.
While officially releasing the 2022 UNICEF child mortality report earlier this week, the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) projected that globally, five million children died before their fifth birthday and another 2.1 million children and youth aged between five and 24 years lost their lives in 2021.
“Far too many parents are facing the trauma of losing their children, sometimes before they take their first breath,” said Vidhya Ganesh who is the UNICEF Director of the Division of Data Analytics, Planning and Monitoring.
“Such widespread, preventable tragedy should never be accepted as inevitable. Progress is possible with stronger political will and targeted investment in equitable access to primary health care for every woman and child.”
Although the reports show some positive outcomes with a lower risk of death across all ages globally since the year 2000, the UN highlights that the global under-five mortality rate fell by 50 per cent since the start of the century, while mortality rates in older children and youth dropped by 36 per cent, and the stillbirth rates decreased by 35 per cent.
The global body is of the view that this can be attributed to more investments in strengthening primary health systems to benefit women, children and young people.
“However, gains have reduced significantly since 2010, and 54 countries will fall short of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target for under-five mortality.
The agencies warn that if swift action is not taken to improve health services, about 59 million children and youth will die before 2030, and nearly 16 million babies will be stillborn,” the report highlights.
Dr Anshu Banerjee who is the Director for Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing at the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that it is grossly unjust for a child’s chances of survival to be shaped just by their place of birth, and that there are such vast inequities in the access to lifesaving health services.
“Children everywhere need strong primary health care systems that meet their needs and those of their families so that no matter where they are born – they have the best start and hope for the future.”
The findings show that children continue to face wildly differentiating chances of survival based on where they are born, with sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia shouldering the heaviest burden.
“Mothers in these two regions also endure the painful loss of babies at an exceptional rate, with 77 per cent of all stillbirths in 2021 occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Nearly half of all stillbirths happened in sub-Saharan Africa. The risk of a woman having a stillborn baby in sub-Saharan Africa is seven times more than in Europe and North America.”
Juan Pablo Uribe, the Global Director for Health, Nutrition and Population, World Bank and the Director of the Global Financing Facility, says that behind these numbers are millions of children and families who are denied their basic rights to health.
“We need political will and leadership so that we can establish proper financing for primary health care, which is one of the best investments countries and development partners can make.”
