Over 60,000 Philippine kids die before 5th birthday – UN

MANILA, Philippines — Over 60,000 children in the Philippines die annually before their fifth birthday because of complications of premature birth, intra-partum complications and infectious diseases, the latest estimates released by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) said.

“In the Philippines, almost 60 percent of children who die before their fifth birthday are newborns, pointing to a need to improve health and nutrition outcomes for both mothers and babies,” the report said.

More than 25,000 babies are stillborn every year.

“The Philippines needs to increase access to quality maternal and child health and nutrition services, achieve full vaccination of all children, and deliver on commitments for ensuring good health and nutrition through the first 1,000 days of life so that children will not only survive, but thrive,” it said.

Vidhya Ganesh, UNICEF director of the Division of Data Analytics, Planning and Monitoring, said: “Such widespread, preventable tragedy should never be accepted as inevitable.”

“Progress is possible with stronger political will and targeted investment in equitable access to primary health care for every woman and child,” Ganesh added.

In a separate report, an estimated five million children died before their fifth birthday and another 2.1 million children and youth aged five to 24 years lost their lives in 2021.

The global under-five mortality rate fell by 50 percent since the start of the century, while mortality rates in older children and youth dropped by 36 percent, and the stillbirth rate decreased by 35 percent.

This can be attributed to more investments in strengthening primary health systems to benefit women, children and young people.

However, gains have reduced significantly since 2010, and 54 countries will fall short of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals target for under-five mortality.

“If swift action is not taken to improve health services, almost 59 million children and youth will die before 2030, and nearly 16 million babies will be lost to stillbirth,” the report said.

Access to and availability of quality health care continues to be a matter of life or death for children globally. Most child deaths occur in the first five years, of which half are within the very first month of life. For these youngest babies, premature birth and complications during labor are the leading causes of death.

“Similarly, more than 40 percent of stillbirths occur during labor – most of which are preventable when women have access to quality care throughout pregnancy and birth,” the report said.

For children who survive past their first 28 days, infectious diseases like pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria pose the biggest threat.