Five Million Children Die Every Year: Identifying the Causes of Preventable Mortality

• Around 4.7 million children under the age of five died globally in 2023, with the vast majority of these deaths being preventable.
• Mortality drivers are split roughly equally between infectious diseases (e.g., pneumonia, malaria, diarrheal diseases) and birth-related complications (e.g., preterm births, neonatal suffocation).
• Preventable health interventions, such as vaccinations and access to skilled birth professionals, remain critical to reducing mortality in low-income regions.

Global Causes of Child Mortality

• Approximately 40% of under-five deaths are attributed to two major categories:
  • Infectious diseases: Malaria, pneumonia, measles, and diarrheal diseases.
  • Birth disorders: Dominated by neonatal complications and preterm births.
• Non-communicable diseases (e.g., congenital defects, malnutrition, cancer) account for 9% of deaths.
• Injuries and accidents (e.g., drowning, road incidents, fires) represent 5% of mortality.

Disparities by Income Level

• Nigeria vs. UK:
  • A child in Nigeria is over 20 times more likely to die before age five than one in the UK.
  • In Nigeria, 56% of child deaths are caused by infectious diseases, many of which are vaccine-preventable (e.g., rotavirus, measles, meningitis, whooping cough).
  • Only 50% of births in Nigeria involve a skilled health professional, a critical gap for reducing neonatal death.
  • In high-income nations like the UK, infectious diseases are rare; preterm births are the leading cause, accounting for nearly 40% of deaths.

Older Children (Aged 5-14)

• The number of deaths for children aged 5 to 14 is about one-fifth the volume of deaths for children under five.
• Mortality drivers shift in older age groups:
  • Infectious diseases remain prevalent in lower-income areas.
  • Injuries, particularly drowning and road traffic accidents, become more significant causes.
  • Childhood cancers are also a notable cause in this age bracket.
• Progress is evident: childhood cancer deaths in the US and UK have fallen sixfold over 70 years, and UK road traffic fatalities for children have dropped 90% since 1980.