Child Death Rates Narrow Between Poor and Rich Countries

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FILE - In this file photo taken Oct. 4, 2006, Pakistani hospital staff members attend newly born babies in Karachi, Pakistan. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil, File)

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11/11/2014

Differences in Child Death Rates Narrow Between Poor and Rich Countries

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Death rates of young children have dropped to record lows in developingcountries. Experts say there are two main reasons for the decrease. Theyare improved government action, and simple protective health measures.Experts say the two have helped narrow the death rates between the richestand the poorest families.

The United Nations says 12.7 million children under the age of five died in 1990. By comparison, U.N. officials say about 6.3 million young children diedlast year. That is a huge drop, but still represents about 17,000 deaths everyday.

Eran Bendavid is a population health expert at Stanford University inCalifornia. He credits simple things for the sharp drop in deaths among lowand moderate-income countries. They include malarial bed nets and oralrehydration salts for treating diarrheal diseases.

“The poorest of the poor – we’re talking about countries where the people liveor $1 or $2 per day on average – have seen enormous declines in mortality.Their children are surviving at rates they have never seen before in thosecontexts.” 

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 http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/article/2516452.html