Press Features

World Health Day 2005 Backgrounder

Every minute 20 children under the age of 5 die. 30,000 children die each day, and almost 11 million children every year.

There are few things more tragic than the death of a child or a young mother. The world loses more than 11 million children and half a million mothers every year. The tragedy of their deaths is worsened by one startling fact-most of these deaths didn't have to happen.

A child born in Haiti is 17 times more likely to die before reaching the age of 5 than a child born in Canada.

With the knowledge we already possess, with many of the resources we already command, with the science and technology we've already mastered, millions of lives could be saved. Millions of mothers and children would not only survive, but thrive. They'd grow healthy, physically and mentally, so they could be productive members of society. They'd have a chance for a decent future, and their contributions would enhance the social and economic progress of their communities.

Worldwide more than 500,000 mothers die in pregnancy and childbirth each year. An estimated 23,000 of these women are from the Americas.

We need to combine and coordinate all our efforts toward giving mothers and children a chance for good health and a decent future. We need to provide quality education, universal access to quality healthcare, nutrition and family planning services, skilled attendance at birth, and increased health services for children under 5.

A woman born in Latin America or the Caribbean is 27 times more likely to die of pregnancy complications than a woman born in the United States. Every year, an estimated one million young children die as a result of their mothers' death.

Worldwide each year, more than 10 million children under the age of 5 die from a handful of conditions that are preventable and treatable. Many do not even reach the end of their first month of life. Many more children suffer from the effects of ill health, poor nutrition and inadequate health care.

We cannot ignore this crisis. We are allowing children and mothers to die needlessly. It is time to act.