Some countries hit hard
The problem of child deaths is most acute in Sierra Leone, Angola and Afghanistan, all war-torn countries where sufficient health services are often unavailable for children to reach age five, said the report.
Sub-Saharan Africa, where the rate has dropped by only 14 per cent since 1990, is home to 28 of the 30 countries with the highest child mortality rates, and is the region of greatest concern, according to the study.
Some regions, such as East Asia and the Pacific, central and eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, have reached a roughly 50 per cent decrease in child mortality since 1990. In those places, the rate has dipped below 30 deaths per 1,000 births, the report said.
Some Sub-Saharan African countries have managed to achieve rates far better than the region's troubling average.
Mozambique, for example, has seen a 41 per cent drop in child mortality, largely as a result of government and aid agency training aimed at providing the country's rural population with inexpensive and effective health tips on topics like breast feeding, hydration and mosquito nets.
The problem of child deaths is most acute in Sierra Leone, Angola and Afghanistan, all war-torn countries where sufficient health services are often unavailable for children to reach age five, said the report.
Sub-Saharan Africa, where the rate has dropped by only 14 per cent since 1990, is home to 28 of the 30 countries with the highest child mortality rates, and is the region of greatest concern, according to the study.
Some regions, such as East Asia and the Pacific, central and eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, have reached a roughly 50 per cent decrease in child mortality since 1990. In those places, the rate has dipped below 30 deaths per 1,000 births, the report said.
Some Sub-Saharan African countries have managed to achieve rates far better than the region's troubling average.
Mozambique, for example, has seen a 41 per cent drop in child mortality, largely as a result of government and aid agency training aimed at providing the country's rural population with inexpensive and effective health tips on topics like breast feeding, hydration and mosquito nets.
