Increase in the number of child deaths to an unprecedented level in the country – News



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Increase between infants up to 1 year and children between 1 and 4 years, in addition to the infant mortality rate, which increased for the first time in 26 years; poverty is cause

Deborah Giannini, R7


  • The infant mortality rate, ratio between the number of births and deaths of children up to the age of 1 year, has been unprecedented in 26 years since the establishment of the monitoring program of the Ministry of the health. In addition, there was an increase in the number of deaths in two age groups: up to 1 year of life and between 1 and 4 years of age.

    The rate was 14 deaths per thousand births in 2016, which represents a growth of about 5% over the previous year. Compared to the absolute number, 11,214 infant deaths were registered up to the age of 1 year in 2016, 200 more than in 2015, and 17,426 deaths between 1 and 4 years old, that's 830 more.

    "This is an unpublished fact When the absolute number increases in a fall situation, it is serious.It is the first time that this occurs and it attracts a lot of attention" explains Dr. Fátima Marinho de Souza, Director of NCDs and Health Promotion at the Ministry of Health

    ., according to the doctor. "What has increased are deaths due to diarrhea, pneumonia and influenza, which the World Health Organization refers to as preventable deaths, "he says.

    Leading Causes of Childhood Deaths in Brazil

    Children under one year old

    But what strikes the most, in his opinion, are deaths caused by malnutrition and diarrhea. "Malnutrition has not increased again, but it has decreased in 2016. It has been declining steadily in recent years.

    See also: Eradicated diseases create an unnecessary sensation of vaccine

    In 2000, there were 1,385 deaths of children aged less than one year due to malnutrition.The number has dropped over the last 15 years, reaching 191 deaths in 2015. This involved a reduction of 18% compared to 2014. As of 2016, 183 children died of malnutrition, a decrease of only 4% compared to the previous year.

    Extreme poverty are the most affected

    The regions of Brazil most affected by infant mortality are the semi-arid region of the Northeast and the Northern Region, according to the ministry. "The mortality affects the extremely poor segment of the population. There was an increase in diarrhea mortality. Contaminated water is an important source of risk. This is why the problem is concentrated where the water is the worst. "

    In 2000, 2,738 children died of diarrhea, of which 1,564 were in 2015 and 1,593 in 2016. The director explained that the number of deaths from diarrhea over the years and that it has increased again associated with pneumonia, influenza and, mainly, malnutrition. "19659007" Incredibly, even death due to tuberculosis has increased for children under 1 year old, who can be prevented by the vaccine, "he says.
    She reports that there were 3 deaths of children under 1 year old by the disease in 2015. In 2016, this number rose to 13. "This is a small number, but it reveals problems like lack of immunization coverage and it's a preventable death scenario, preventable by vaccination, "he says." This is linked to poverty, especially to extreme poverty. "[19659008] Read more: More than 4 million children still need to be vaccinated against the flu

    The zika virus outbreak in the country increase the infant mortality rate as it has reduced births in 2016, according to the doctor. "The infant mortality rate is a ratio between the number of deaths of less than one year and the number of those born that year, so if the birth drop too much, the rate goes up. According to the Ministry of Health, there was a 5.3% drop in births in 2016, from 3 to 2.8 million, a reduction of 159,000 births

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