What Are the Causes of Death for Children in Developing & Developed Nations?

The deaths of children under 5 years of age is a subject of much scrutiny throughout the world. Each day, 29,000 children under the age of 5 die; 21 children every minute die of preventable causes, such as neonatal infection, diarrhea, malaria, pneumonia, acute respiratory infections and malnutrition. Although the under-5 mortality rate is higher in developing nations, the causes of death are the same in developed countries.

Measles

• Of deaths due to measles worldwide, 90 percent occur in children under 5 years old; 51 percent take place in South East Asia and 37 percent in Africa. Less than half of 1 percent occur in Europe and the Americas. Measles is a highly contagious disease that weakens susceptibility to other potentially deadly conditions like pneumonia and diarrhea.

Neonatal

• During, the neonatal period, children are susceptible to acute diseases and conditions.

  According to the United Nations Children's Fund's State of the World's Children 2008 report, almost 40 percent of under-5 deaths and 60 percent of infant deaths occur during the neonatal period or first month of life. These deaths stem from a variety of complications. A great deal of these deaths occur in India and sub-Saharan Africa, with India contributing a quarter of neonatal fatalities and the nations of Africa have the highest rates. Many of these deaths are attributed to the health of the mother. Each year, 500,000 women die during childbirth or following childbirth complications, leaving children behind who, without them, have less chance for survival. In comparing rates, sub-Saharan Africa has 44 neonatal deaths per 1,000 births, while the industrialized world has 4 neonatal deaths per 1,000 births.

Pneumonia

• Pneumonia kills more children than the diseases of AIDs, malaria and measles combined. Healthy children have natural defenses that make pneumonia less likely, and children in developed nations have more access to treatment. Those suffering from other diseases, like AIDs or measles, are more likely to contract pneumonia, as are those who live in crowded homes or are exposed to smoking. Each year, 2 million children under 5 years of age die of pneumonia, or 1 in 5. Additionally, pneumonia is as one of the leading neonatal infections causing death, with up to 1 million fatalities annually.

Malnutrition

• A lack of sufficient basic foods and the inability to diversify diet leads to chronic malnutrition in the lives of children worldwide. Malnutrition increases the likelihood of poor health, disease and death. In some cases, starvation is the direct cause of death. Malnutrition also increases a child's vulnerability to other conditions because a lack of proper nutrients weakens the immune system. In many cases, children have both malnutrition and diarrhea, leading researchers to believe that one causes predisposition to the other and vice versa.