Deaths among children who are under five years in the country have significantly reduced, Dr Isabella Sagoe-Moses, the National Child Health Coordinator of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has disclosed.
Quoting figures from the preliminary results of the 2014 DHS Survey, she said while in 2008 out of every 1000 babies born in the country, 80 died before their fifth birthday, as at 2014, the figure had significantly dropped to 60 deaths out of every 1000 babies born.
Similarly, death among children who are below one year (infant mortality) has significantly dropped from 50 out of every 1000 live babies born to 41.
Dr Sagoe-Moses, who disclosed this in an interview, attributed the drop in under five deaths to various health intervention programmes the GHS introduced for children of that age group.
‘The introduction of the rotavirus and pneumoccocal vaccines to the routine immunisation programme is likely to have contributed significantly in reducing under five deaths. Pneumonia and diarrhoea are among the top five causes of death among children under five and the introduction of these two vaccines was to reduce these cases. Again, the efforts to increase ownership and use of insecticide treated nets and to improve the management of malaria have contributed to the reduction in deaths in young children. Increased rates of Vitamin ‘A’ Supplementation in children have also been very beneficial,’ she emphasised.
Dr Sagoe-Moses, however, said despite the drop in under five deaths, the same cannot be said for children below a month old.
‘Sadly, new born deaths have not gone down. While in 2008, out of every 1000 babies born, 30 died before they were a month old, in 2014 the figure only dropped to29.
She attributed the minimal drop in neonatal deaths to the fact that health-wise not much attention had been given to interventions for children of that age group until around 2012 when newborns started receiving increased attention by the health sector.
Dr Sagoe-Moses, therefore, called for more sustained attention to the neonatal group in order for the country to be able to improve their survival.
‘Forty per cent of under five deaths are due to neonatal deaths which is very big. Our MDG target states that by September 2015, we should have reduced under five deaths to 40 per cent but we are now around 60 per cent. We should do well to pay close attention to the neonatal group in order to make the needed change in under-five deaths,’ she said.
She stated that it is for that reason that the GHS is targeting the top three causes of death among new-borns which include infections, prematurity and breathing problems (asphyxia) at birth.
She advised parents to send their children to the clinic as soon as they realise that they are ill.
