UN says child mortality rates declining

The United Nations released a report on Tuesday, revealing that the global child mortality rate has dropped by almost half since 1990. The organization said that they were aiming for a two-thirds reduction by 2015.

The U.N. stated that it would be impossible to reach the goal until 2026, 11 years behind the original schedule, if increased efforts to reduce health risks to young children aren't carried out, The New York Times reported.

Even though the organization failed to meet its global target of a two-thirds drop in child mortality for under-five-year-olds, they are not reluctant to set new goals for the future.

Dr. Flavia Bustreo, the Assistant Director General at the World Health Organization, said "The global community is poised to end preventable maternal, newborn and child deaths within a generation." The W.H.O is the branch of the U.N. that is responsible for directing and coordinating global health matters.

According to the statistics provided by the report, in 2012 6.3 million children under the age of five died from mostly preventable causes.

The leading cause of death among children under five is still under-nutrition, which makes up almost half of the cases, according to the Times. It is followed by preterm birth complications (17%); pneumonia (15%); complications during labor and delivery (11%); diarrhoea (%9); and malaria (7%)

An overwhelming number of these deaths happened within the first month of infants' life. In 2013, 2.8 million babies died before they reached two months, composing 44% of under-five fatalities.

Approximately two-thirds of these deaths happened in 10 countries. For example, India and Nigeria together account for more than one-third of deaths among children under five, according to the Times.

The countries with the highest mortality rates are predominantly African nations, according to the W.H.O. Angola, a south-western African country, has the highest mortality rate in the world. There are 167 deaths per 1,000 live births. Luxembourg, one of the richest countries in the world which is known for its high standards of living and small income inequality, has the lowest rate with only 2 per 1,000 live births.

Children born in Angola are 84 times more likely to die before they reach five years of age than children born in Luxembourg, the W.H.O said.