Prematurity and pneumonia leading causes of deaths in children in the Region
7 October 2013 – Prematurity and pneumonia were the top leading causes of death in children under the age of 5 years in the Eastern Mediterranean Region in 2011, based on the WHO Global Health Observatory.
Prematurity contributed to 19% of all under-5 deaths and pneumonia 18%. Prematurity was also the leading cause of death in neonates.
Infections, including pneumonia (18%), diarrhoeal diseases (10%), infections in the newborn (6%), measles (3%) and malaria (1%) as a group remained a major cause of death in children, responsible for 38% of all deaths.
Every day, 690 children under-5 in the Region lose their lives because of pneumonia and diarrhoea. Most of these deaths occur after the neonatal period. Integrated strategies such as the Integrated management of child health (IMCI) and cost-effective interventions to prevent these deaths exist, but their level of coverage remains low in countries with high under-5 mortality in the Region.
Most deaths from preterm complications can also be prevented with feasible, evidence-based cost-effective interventions across the continuum of care, even without the availability of neonatal intensive care and sophisticated technology.
Links
GAPPD and IMCI: integrated approaches to saving the lives of children
Born too soon: the global action report on preterm birth
Half a million more children’s lives saved in 2012 in the Region
Djibouti finalizes maternal and child health acceleration plan
29 September 2013 – Djibouti has finalized its acceleration plan of action for maternal and child health.
The plan has been developed in response to the regional initiative on “Saving the lives of mothers and children”, launched in Dubai in January 2013, a partnership between countries, WHO, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UNICEF and other stakeholders.
The plan aims to progress at a faster rate in reducing deaths in mothers and under-5 children in the country by 2015.
Djibouti is the seventh country in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to prepare the plan, joining six other countries which have already finalized their national plans, namely Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
A WHO team visited the country to provide further technical support for the finalization of the plan.
Links
Six countries in the Region finalize maternal and child health acceleration plans
Developing maternal and child health (MCH) acceleration plans in the Region, 17–19 June 2013
Six countries in the Region finalize maternal and child health acceleration plans
22 September 2013 – Six countries have finalized their acceleration plans of action for maternal and child health in the Region and are gearing for implementation.
The six countries are Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Sudan already launched the plan in a high-level ceremony on 28 August 2013 in Khartoum in the presence of the Vice President of the Republic.
These six countries are among the 10 countries which have been the target of the regional initiative on “Saving the lives of mothers and children”, launched in Dubai in January 2013, through a partnership between countries, WHO, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UNICEF and other stakeholders. Most (94%) of the 899 000 deaths in children under-5 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region in 2012 occurred in just those 10 countries.
As a result of the initiative, the 10 countries have embarked on intensive work to develop ambitious plans to progress at a faster rate in reducing deaths in mothers and under-5 children by 2015, increasing coverage with cost-effective interventions through integrated approaches and reaching the most under-served populations to reduce inequities.
Implementation of the acceleration plans in the six countries which have finalized them is expected to begin soon and cover the period until 2015.
WHO, together with its partner agencies UNFPA and UNICEF has provided support to the development of the plans.
Links
Developing maternal and child health (MCH) acceleration plans in the Region, 17–19 June 2013
Sudan launches maternal and child health acceleration plan
