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MDG 4: Reduce child mortality
Target 4.A: Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate
Nearly 9 million children under five die every year.
Almost 90% of all child deaths are attributable to just six conditions: neonatal causes, pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria, measles, and HIV/AIDS.
During 1960-1990, child mortality in developing regions was halved to one child in 10 dying before age five. The aim is to further cut child mortality by
two thirds by 2015.
Reaching the MDG on reducing child mortality will require universal coverage with key effective, affordable interventions: care for newborns and their mothers; infant and young child feeding; vaccines; prevention and case management of diarrhoea, pneumonia and sepsis; malaria control; and prevention and care of HIV/AIDS.
In countries with high mortality, these interventions could reduce the number of deaths by more than half.
To deliver these interventions, WHO promotes three main strategies:
- integrated management of childhood illness
- expanded programme on immunization
- infant and young child feeding.
Attention to newborn health is being increasingly incorporated into each of these delivery strategies, complemented by interventions aimed at making pregnancy safer.
Related links
Child health
Infant, Newborn
Immunization
Children's environmental health
Breastfeeding
Nutrition
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