Our kids still dying young

Our kids still dying young
Press Trust Of India, New Delhi, December 11, 2007

Malnutrition and child mortality continue to endanger the lives of children in India, a UN report released on Monday says. The Unicef report ‘Progress for Children’ says malnutrition accounts for 50 per cent of under-five deaths. It is also responsible for low weight among children.
According to the report, of the 19 million infants with low birth weight in the developing world, 8.3 million come from India, where underweight prevalence is 43 per cent. About one-third of underweight children under five live in India. Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Gujarat, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Meghalaya all have high numbers of underweight children.
The report says, more than 500,000 women die in pregnancy and childbirth every year. It points to an appalling lack of basic sanitation, hygiene and drinkable water, which contributes to the deaths of more than 1.5 million children each year from diarrhoea and related ailments. Moreover, the number of people living with HIV-AIDS continues to rise, affecting child welfare as well.