Even as India’s Child Mortality rate declined substantially during 1990 0 2019 period, the country along with Nigeria still accounted for almost a third of all under-five deaths, according to a new report by the United Nations.
While bringing out the “Levels & Trends in Child Mortality’ Report 2020 report”, the UN also warned that the present Coronavirus pandemic threatened to undo the progress made in the last many years in eradicating child mortality.
The report said that the number of under-five deaths across the world dropped to its lowest point on record in 2019. It dropped to 5.2 million in 2019 from 12.5 million in 1990.
The report pointed out that the measures taken in the last 30 years had helped in overcoming t5he great challenge of child mortality. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in major disruptions to health services, the UN said and added that it could undo decades of hard won progress toward eliminating preventable child deaths.
UNDER FIVE
According to the new mortality estimates, the under-five mortality rate (deaths per 1,000 live births) in India declined to 34 in 2019 from 126 in 1990. It said that India registered a 4.5 per cent annual rate of reduction in under-five mortality in the 1990-2019 periods. India recorded 3.4 million under-five death in 1990. It dropped to 824,000 in 2019, the report noted.
In the case of infant mortality, India saw a decline from 89 in 1990 to 28 in 2019. The country witnessed 2.4 million deaths in 1990. This came down to 6,79,000 deaths in 2019. There was also a decrease in neonatal mortality rate between 1990 and 2019 from 57 to 22. The year 1990 saw – 1.5 million neonatal deaths whereas 5,22,000 deaths were only reported in 2019.
He report also pointed out that the probability of dying among children aged 5 to 14 years declined from 21 in 1990 to five in 2019. The country recorded 4,47,000 deaths in 1990 and it came down to 1,36,000 in 2019. The report also pointed out a dip in dying among youth aged 15—24 years. It said that 2,46,000 deaths were reported in 2019 whereas it was 4,07,000 deaths in 1990.
