Child deaths robbing nation of its future

By Winsley Masese and Elizabeth Mwai

When Mary Akinyi’s two-year-old son Kevin Ouma suffered diarrhoea last year, she thought it was a small problem that would easily go away.

As the illness worsened, she rushed him to a private clinic near her home in Nyalenda just outside Kisumu town. Later, she took him to Kisumu District Hospital, but it was too late.

"I thought it was normal for the child to diarrhoea but it got worse every minute. By the following morning, he died," Akinyi said.

Although the death could easily have been prevented, Akinyi’s son is among thousands dying from preventable conditions. The death of children aged below five years has alarmed health professionals.

The reduction of the deaths of children and improving health of mothers are among eight goals set out by the United Nations, which is today hosting a meeting to review progress on the targets. World nations are converging in New York just five years to the deadline set out for the achievement of the targets.

The Millennium Development Goals, as they are called, were set out ten years ago. Nations also committed themselves to reduce poverty, combat hunger, HIV/Aids and malaria.

However, with a high child death rate, Kenya is lagging behind and may not beat the 2015 deadline. Nations agreed to reduce the deaths of children aged below five years by two- thirds.

Health officials say the country is losing 44,000 children aged below five years annually, which translates into about four busloads of babies daily.

Breastfeeding

According to Dr Santau Migiro of the Public Health division of Child and Adolescent Health, these deaths can easily be prevented through the adoption of cheaper and safer practices by mothers. These include hygiene, breastfeeding and seeking medical attention early before they develop complications.

She said Over 80 per cent of deaths of children aged less than five years in Kenya are from preventable causes.

"Leading causes pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria, HIV/Aids, and malnutrition," said Migiro.

Nyanza, Western and Rift Valley provinces account for threequarters of child deaths nationally.

Mothers have been faulted for ignoring doctors’ instructions regarding feeding, immunisation and regular check-ups of their babies’ health.

Although mothers have been advised to exclusively breastfeed their children for six months only 32 per cent follow these instructions.

A mother’s milk is not only healthy, but it also contains all nutrients necessary for a baby’s growth. It safeguards a child from diarrhoea and respiratory infections.

Even so, the risk of babies dying during delivery and before their fifth birthday has not changed much from the 1990. The millennium goals were set in 2000.

Lack of immunisation against diseases is also a leading cause of these deaths.

"Immunisation during a child’s first year of life protects against disease that cause poor growth, disability or death," says Migiro.

Officials say diarrhoea is the fourth most common cause of death contributing to six percent of all hospital deaths.

Free nets

Yet, only a small fraction of children with this life threatening condition receive special solutions meant to fight dehydration. Known as oral dehydration solutions, they help to keep a good balance of body fluids when a child suffers from diarrhoea.

However, malaria is still the main killer of children, and claims 34,000 lives annually. Half of these are babies aged under five.

Despite the Government providing free nets provided with insecticides, which protect babies from mosquito bites, some mothers do not make use of them.

Dr Sanjiv Kumar, the chief Child Survival and Development at Unicef, Kenya, said reducing child deaths must start at home.

However, Dr Kumar explains these causes are preventable citing intervention from the family as key towards that.

Kumar said: "Families have to identify the danger signs early and know where to seek help."