[pronut-hiv] Our children are dying

["ProNut-HIV" <pronut-hiv@pronut-hiv.org>]

Our children are dying 
Thabo Mkhize 
http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=725075 
Mar 12, 2008
 
Report paints a grim picture of failure in fighting the country*s *Big Five* killers, most of which are treatable 

About 75 000 children die in South Africa every year before they turn five.

Of those, 22000 are dead within a month of being born, making South Africa one of only 12 countries * along with Iraq, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and Kenya, all ravaged by war and HIV-Aids * with a rising child mortality rate.
A further 20000 babies are stillborn every year.
These shocking findings are contained in a report produced by the national health department, the Medical Research Council and the University of Pretoria.
The report was released by Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang in Johannesburg yesterday.
The report, Every Death Counts, is derived from three mortality audits: Saving Mothers, Saving Babies, and Saving Children. It paints a grim picture of how, on average, 260 children and mothers die in this country every day.

Prof Mickey Chopra, of the Medical Research Council, said: *The bad news is that in terms of children dying, we are not making progress.*
Chopra said that the reasons for increasing child mortality included inadequate health facilities, inadequate care given by health workers and lack of transport to health facilities.
Dr Mark Patrick, who compiled the Saving Children audit, said it *was unacceptable* that South Africa*s child mortality rate of 69 per 1000 was three times higher than Brazil*s.
Patrick said: *Children are dying faster than they should and we all need to do something about it.*
The *Big Five* killers of mothers and children in this country are HIV-Aids, malnutrition, newborn illnesses, childhood illnesses, pregnancy and childbirth complications. 
Poverty is the underlying cause of death in all five instances.

HIV-Aids accounted for 35percent of child mortality. Only 11percent of child deaths are due to diarrhea.
Both these conditions are treatable and preventable.
And the situation is getting worse.
It was revealed that South Africa is not making progress towards the child survival Millennium Development Goals. 
Brazil, Mexico and Egypt, with similar mortality rates and gross national incomes to South Africa, are on track to meet child mortality targets of reducing deaths by two thirds between 1990 and 2015.
The Every Death Counts report says that about 1600 women die each year because of complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
Dr Joy Lawn, who is author of the report and a senior policy and research adviser for Save the Children in the US, said: *At least 40200 babies and children could be saved every year if high-impact interventions reached all families in South Africa.*

The report states: *More than half the mothers and children dying in our country are dying needlessly * we have the solutions now but they are not reaching those most in need, or they are not being implemented with the quality needed to save lives.*
Patrick, who is a paediatrician at Grey*s Hospital, Pietermaritzburg, said: *We all need to use our talents to improve the quality of care that mothers, babies and children receive. 
*By doing this, at the very least, we can honour those of our country*s people who died earlier than they should.*
Other shocking findings include:
One third of the children who died were severely malnourished and more than 60percent were underweight for their age;

At least 294000 children are living with HIV-Aids; 

Black infants are more than four times as likely to die than white infants .