COVID-19 could reverse decades of progress in eliminating preventable infant deaths, agencies warn

The number of deaths under the age of five decreased to the lowest level recorded in 2019 – to 5.2 million from 12.5 million in 1990, according to new mortality estimates published by UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the World Bank Group.

However, since then, UNICEF and WHO research has revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in major disruptions in health services that threaten decades of hard-earned progress.

“The global community has made too much progress in eliminating preventable infant deaths to allow us to be stopped by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “When children are denied access to health services because the system is overwhelmed and when women are afraid to give birth in a hospital for fear of infection, they too can become victims of COVID-19. Without urgent investment in restarting disrupted health systems and services, millions of children under the age of five, especially newborns, could die. ”

Over the past 30 years, health services to prevent or treat the causes of infant death, such as premature birth, low birth weight, complications during childbirth, neonatal sepsis, pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria, and vaccination, have played a major role in saving millions of lives.

Countries around the world are now facing disruptions in child and maternal health services, such as health examinations, vaccinations, and prenatal and postnatal care, due to resource constraints and general discomfort in using health services due to fear of COVID-19 infection.

AND UNICEF research conducted over the summer in 77 countries found that nearly 68 percent of countries reported at least some disruption in child health screening and immunization services. In addition, 63 percent of countries reported interruptions in prenatal care and 59 percent in postnatal care.

AND a recent WHO survey based on responses from 105 countries, it was found that 52 percent of countries reported disorders in health services for sick children and 51 percent in malnutrition management services.

Such health interventions are crucial to stopping preventable infant and child deaths. For example, women who are cared for by professional midwives trained according to international standards are 16 percent less likely to lose a child and 24 percent less likely to experience a premature birth, According to the WHO.

“The fact that today more children are celebrating their first birthday than ever in history is a true sign of what can be achieved when the world puts health and well-being at the center of our response,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Now, we must not allow the COVID-19 pandemic to bring back tremendous progress for our children and future generations. Instead, it is time that what we know works to save lives and continue to invest in stronger, more resilient health systems.”

Based on the responses of countries that participated in UNICEF and WHO surveys, the most commonly cited reasons for interruptions in health services include parents who avoid health centers for fear of infection; transport restrictions; suspension or closure of services and facilities; fewer health workers due to diversion or fear of infection due to lack of personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves; and greater financial difficulties. Afghanistan, Bolivia, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Libya, Madagascar, Pakistan, Sudan and Yemen are among the hardest hit countries.

Seven of the nine countries had high child mortality rates of more than 50 deaths per 1,000 live births among children under the age of five in 2019. In Afghanistan, where 1 in 17 children died before the age of 5 in 2019, the Ministry of Health reported a significant decrease in visits to health facilities. Because of the fear of contracting the COVID-19 virus, families are prioritizing pre- and postnatal care, adding to the risk to pregnant women and newborns.

Even before COVID-19, newborns were at greatest risk of death. In 2019, a newborn baby died every 13 seconds. Moreover, 47 percent of all deaths under the age of five occurred in the neonatal period, up from 40 percent in 1990. With serious disorders in basic health services, newborns could be at a much higher risk of dying. For example, in Cameroon, where 1 in 38 newborns died in 2019, a UNICEF study reported an estimated 75 percent discontinuation in the provision of basic neonatal care, antenatal examinations, obstetric care, and postnatal care.

In May, this was demonstrated by the initial modeling of Johns Hopkins University nearly 6,000 additional children could die daily due to a disorder due to COVID-19.

These reports and surveys highlight the need for urgent action to restore and improve maternity services and prenatal and postnatal care for mothers and babies, including qualified health professionals who will care for them at birth. It is also important to work with parents to alleviate their fears and reassure them.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has put years of global progress into stopping child deaths that can be prevented from being seriously endangered,” said Muhammad Ali Pate, global director of health, nutrition and the World Bank’s population. “It is essential to protect life-saving services that are key to reducing child mortality. We will continue to work with governments and partners to strengthen health systems to ensure mothers and children are provided with the services they need. “

“The new report shows continued progress in the world in reducing child mortality,” said John Wilmoth, director of the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. “While the report highlights the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on interventions that are critical to children’s health, it also draws attention to the need to correct huge inequalities in a child’s chances of survival and good health.”

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Download photos, b-roll, full child mortality assessment report and data files here. For UNICEF’s COVID-19 Interruption Survey, click here.

These links will become active after 00.01. GMT, 9 September.

Report main landing page: https://data.unicef.org/resources/levels-and-trends-in-child-mortality/

Datasets: https://data.unicef.org/resources/dataset/child-mortality/

Narrative page https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-survival/under-five-mortality/

O UN IGME
The United Nations Interagency Group on Child Mortality Assessment or UN IGME was established in 2004 to exchange data on child mortality, improve methods for estimating child mortality, report on progress in achieving child survival goals and strengthen state capacity for timely and properly assessed child mortality estimates. . UN IGME is run by UNICEF and includes the World Health Organization, the World Bank Group, and the United Nations Population Division of the Economic and Social Affairs Division. For more information visit: http://www.childmortality.org/