WHO Reports 4.9 Million Children to Die Before Age 5

The World Health Organization (WHO) released a report on Wednesday estimating that 4.9 million children will die before their fifth birthday in 2024, which includes 2.3 million newborns. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of WHO, emphasized the importance of low-cost interventions and access to quality healthcare to prevent these deaths.

He noted that children living in conflict zones are nearly three times more likely to die before their fifth birthday. The report indicates that while global child mortality rates have halved since 2000, the pace of reduction has slowed since 2015.

Catherine Russell, the Executive Director of UNICEF, expressed concern over the stagnation in progress towards child survival and highlighted that no child should die from preventable diseases. The report provides the clearest picture yet of child mortality causes and stresses the need for sustained investment in health services to ensure every child has the chance to survive and thrive.