The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) expressed sadness and dismay that children up to the age of four were dying more than any other age group in South Africa, it said on Thursday.
Responding to a Statistics South Africa report, Mortality and causes of deaths in South Africa 2005, Unicef country representative Macharia Kamau called for ”immediate and decisive action to reverse the disturbing upward trend”.
”Government, the private sector and all South Africans need to act with urgency and determination, to do all within their personal and collective power to stop the unnecessary dying of children …,” he said.
According to the report, child deaths up to the age of four in 2005 stood at 61 461 and represented 10,4% of all deaths, the highest proportion across all age groups.
Most of the causes of infant and child deaths were preventable and treatable diseases such as Aids and respiratory infections.
The second most affected group is 30- to 34-year-olds, with women, who are predominantly mothers and care givers, being disproportionately affected.
The report stated that high HIV infections in women of child-bearing age partly explained the high maternal and child mortality rates due to Aids.
Unicef appealed to South Africans to put children first and do more to ensure better care and attention to children at home and in the care of institutions, including hospitals. — Sapa