Child health problems in Ethiopia

Abstract

1. Global situation or child health The world population is growing at an alarming rate and particularly so in the developing nations. Over 80% of the world's children live in the developing world (1) where child mortality and morbidity rates are the highest. Each year about 14 million under-five children die from malnutrition and infection, i.e. , 40,000 daily or 2000 per hour, of which 98 % occur in the developing countries (1). The main causes of mortality in these countries are diarrhoeal diseases, pneumonia, perinatal and neonatal problems, measles, neonatal tetanus and malaria (Table 1), over 60% of which are preventable at low cost in these countries (2). In 1980, an estimated five million children under 5 years of age, died as a consequence of diarrhoeal disease (3). After the introduction of ORT, a quarter-century ago, over one million young lives are now being saved a year .Still over two million under-five children in the world's poorest neighborhoods die necessarily every year of diarrhoeal diseases (4)