The number of children who die before reaching five years of age has declined from more than 12 million in 1990 to 7.6 million in 2010, according to the latest estimates released by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday.
The two organizations say the new figures on child mortality show that approximately 12,000 lives are saved each day compared to 1990.
UNICEF however states that despite the progress, there are still about 21,000 children who are dying every day from preventable diseases.
UNICEF also says the rate of progress is still insufficient to meet the millennium development goal of reducing the less than five mortality rate by two thirds in 2015.
But in Uganda, the picture painted by UNICEF and WHO is far from real.
A recent research conducted by Makerere University however found out a sharp increase in the child mortality rates in Uganda.
According to the research, out of every 100 children born, three die as a result of poor child birth services at hospitals, prolonged labor pains which make babies tired, resulting into death.
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