10 million child deaths a year preventable, charity says

NASHVILLE, Tenn.-Nearly 10 million children die each year from treatable illnesses like diarrhea and pneumonia -the vast majority of them in the developing world, according to the U.S.-based charity Save the Children. Child death rates are worst in Laos, Yemen, Chad, Somalia and Ethiopia, and eight of the 10 worst-ranked countries are in sub-Saharan Africa.Simple health initiatives such as oral rehydration to combat diarrhea can dramatically improve the chances of survival for children, David Oot, Save the Children's associate vice president, told the Associated Press. The Philippines has cut its child death rate almost in half since 1990 with such techniques. Such strategies placed the Philippines, Peru, South Africa, Indonesia and Turkmenistan at the top of 55 developing countries in terms of child survival.More than 200 million children worldwide under age 5 do not get basic health care that would save lives, such as prenatal care, skilled birthing assistance, immunizations and treatments for diarrhea and pneumonia. Low-cost techniques-inexpensive antibiotics and oral rehydration solutions-could save more than 6 million children a year from preventable or curable causes, the report said. The top killer of children under 5 is pneumonia, while diarrhea ranks second.

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