Reduce Child Mortality - Goal 4
Under-five mortality trends indicate that under-five mortality has been increasing since 1997 from 106 per 1 000 live births to 122 per 1000 in 2000, stabilizing at 120 per 1 000 in 2006. Nonetheless, the rate of increase between 2000 and 2006 was not so pronounced. On the other hand, malnutrition amongst under 5s is estimated to be 39% causing stuntedness and underweight prevalence is estimated to be 10%. 47% of deaths are HIV/AIDS related.
Infant mortality increased from 78 per 1000 live births in 1997, to 87.7 per 1000 in 2000 and stabilized at 85 per 1000 in 2006. Stabilization of infant and under-five mortality rates is expected to continue as the up-take on the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission intervention increases.
The refocus of government efforts towards the provision of safe drinking water and sanitation will also act as a contributing factor towards reducing child mortality. It is estimated that only 36% of households had access to clean safe water in the country during the dry season and as such the likelihood of children suffering from diarrhea increased by 32%. Prevalence of under weight children due to malnutrition has reduced between the period 2000 and 2006 from 10% to 7.4%. Prevention prograrmmes such as measles immunization coverage had been declining from 94% in 2003 to 60% in 2005. However an increase in immunization coverage was recorded in 2005 from 60% in 2006 to 82% in 2006.
A national immunization campaign reached a signigicant coverage of children age between 9 - 59 months of 91.3%. The immunization programme has a high utilization rate on static facilities of over 80%. Despite the stable picture of infant mortality a further reduction of infant mortality will be achieved through significant gains in the national HIV/AIDS response, food security and improvement of access to safe water and sanitation. There is a potential to make progress towards achieving this goal, however, with the current food security crisis, under 5s are very vulnerable thus mortality likely to increase.
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