Day of the African Child
$1.3 billion could save 800,000 African babies
Within the next 24 hours, more than 1,500 babies born today in sub-Saharan Africa will die, mostly from preventable or treatable causes, according to a new briefing paper by Save the Children, marking the Day of the African Child.
Death rates among newborns remain so high in Africa that parents in many communities postpone naming their newborn for a month or more until they are certain the child will survive infancy, the agency noted.
Save the Children estimates that $1.3 billion a year in additional funding could save up to 800,000 newborn lives in Africa through a comprehensive package of proven health interventions for women and babies in the region.
While the agency warns that children in sub-Saharan Africa are most vulnerable during the first 28 days of life, Save the Children also notes that most newborn deaths can be prevented by ensuring access to basic low-cost services such as tetanus toxoid immunisation, skilled care at delivery and basic care of the newborn, including immediate and exclusive breastfeeding, warming and drying, and early detection and treatment of infections.
Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, Secretary General of Save the Children, said: “Throughout the developing world, the most dangerous day in a child’s life is the day a child is born, and this is especially true in sub-Saharan Africa, where 4.5 million children die each year before the age of five - and a quarter of those die in the first 28 days. We can and must save those children's lives, for example with life-saving vaccinations for newborns against infections like tetanus. Many of these lives could be saved for less than the price of a lottery ticket."
Petri Gornitzka said world leaders were falling behind on their promise to cut by two-thirds the number of children who die before their fifth birthday - a promise due to be delivered on by 2015.
"During this financial crisis, world leaders have acted fast to rescue banks and protect key industries. The world's poorest families risk being left on the sidelines. But when the solutions that save children's lives are so proven and affordable, this is exactly the kind of investment that African leaders, and leaders of the richest nations, must prioritise."
In 2000 world leaders signed up to a set of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reduce poverty. MDG4 promises to reduce child mortality levels by two-thirds by 2015. However, very few countries are currently on track to meet this goal. If this trend continues, the goal will not be met until 2045.
Targeting neo-natal mortality offers a golden opportunity to accelerate progress towards MDG4. The first 28 days represent the most dangerous time for a child in sub-Saharan Africa, yet this is the period most neglected by African and world leaders. So while many African countries have made progress in reducing deaths of children under five, the rate of children dying in their first month has remained high and changed very little over the past ten years.
"On the Day of the African Child it is right that we speak out about newborn and child mortality," said Petri Gornitzka. "We can fix this. We can get on track - but only with determined action. Leaders must grasp every opportunity presented to them now, while there is still time."