[pronut-hiv] The State of the World's Children 2008 - Child Survival

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The State of the World's Children 2008 - Child Survival 
 
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
December 2007
Available online as PDF file [164p.] at:
 
http://www.unicef.org/sowc08/docs/sowc08.pdf  
 
"...The State of the World's Children 2008 assesses the state of child
survival and primary health care for mothers, newborns and children
today. These issues serve as sensitive barometers of a country's
development and wellbeing and as evidence of its priorities and
values. Investing in the health of children and their mothers is a
human rights imperative and one of the surest ways for a country to
set its course towards a better future.." 
 
"...What is a life worth? Most of us would sacrifice a great deal to
save a single child. Yet somehow on a global scale, our priorities
have become blurred. Every day, on average more than 26,000 children
under the age of five die around the world, mostly from preventable
causes. Nearly all of them live in the developing world or, more
precisely, in 60 developing countries. More than one third of these
children die during the first month of life, usually at home and
without access to essential health services and basic commodities that
might save their lives. Some children succumb to respiratory or
diarrhoeal infections that are no longer threats in industrialized
countries or to early childhood diseases that are easily prevented
through vaccines, such as measles. In up to half of under-five
 
deaths an underlying cause is undernutrition, which deprives a young
child's body and mind of the nutrients needed for growth and
development.
 
Unsafe water, poor sanitation and inadequate hygiene also contribute
to child mortality and morbidity.." 
 
Download the executive summary [PDF, 618 KB
<http://www.unicef.org/sowc08/docs/sowc08_execsummary.pdf> ]
 
Content:
- 1Child survival: Where we stand
- 2 Lessons learned from evolving health-care systems and practices 
- 3 Community partnerships in primary health care for mothers,
newborns
and children 
- 4 Strengthening community partnerships, the continuum of care, and
health systems 
- 5 Uniting for child survival