Child health

The Western Pacific Region had demonstrated significant progress in improving child survival. The overall estimated under five and infant mortality rates reduced by half and the estimated total number of deaths among children under the age of five years decreased
by two-thirds between 1990 and 2009. Five out of seven priority countries (China, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mongolia, the Philippines and Viet Nam) are on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goal 4 of reducing child mortality by two-thirds by the year 2015. Intervention coverage for key child indicators has shown improvements in several areas, with variations between countries. In general, essential interventions that are given periodically (vitamin A supplementation and immunization) have better coverage than those that require 24-hour access to services (such as care for the sick child including treatment of pneumonia and diarrhoea) or would need changes in behaviour (exclusive breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices).

However, around 1440 children under the age of five still die everyday. Prematurity, asphyxia and infection are the main causes of deaths in the neonatal period; pneumonia and diarrhoea during infancy and early childhood. In addition, malaria is an important cause of child mortality in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Undernutrition contributes to more than one-third of all childhood deaths. Neonatal deaths constitute an increasing proportion (around 54%) of the under-five deaths.

The success of further reducing child mortality is closely linked with the capacities of the health systems to respond to the changing needs of mothers and children and to deliver essential packages of maternal and child health care. At the country level, key policies should ensure the availability and affordability of quality services at all levels of care throughout the continuum from the mother to the child.

Fact sheets

No fact sheets available at this time.

News and press releases

10 June 2009
Child deaths from preventable environmental hazards "can and must be stopped"
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10 December 2008
WHO report turns the spotlight on unintentional injuries to children
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29 September 2008
UNICEF and WHO China statement on contaminated infant formula
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Relevant publications and documents

WHO/UNICEF Workshop to Review Progress and Actions to Improve Child Survival
The WHO/UNICEF Regional Child Survival Strategy was endorsed by the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific in 2005 and launched in 2006 in countries with the highest burden of under-five mortality in the Region. To review progress in seven priority countries, a WHO/UNICEF Workshop to Review Progress and Actions to Improve Child Survival was held in Xi'an, China from 13 to 15 October 2009. The intention was to review achievements, best practices and challenges that remain in achieving Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4, and to identify solutions for overcoming barriers. The workshop was jointly organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals in the Western Pacific Region: Progress report 2010
The 2015 target for reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is rapidly approaching. International agencies, including WHO, are marking 2010 as a crucial point for reporting progress to date, generating greater attention and emphasis on most pressing issues and priorities, and demonstrating demand for increasing interventions and resources to achieve MDG results.

Taking to Scale IMCI Implementation in Mongolia 2000-2008
Mongolia has made good progress in reducing infant and child mortality since 1990. The National Programme for the Development and Protection of Children 2002-2010 outlines the Government’s approach to achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 child-mortality targets set in the United Nations General Assembly Special Session in 2002. Improving the health status of mothers and children is also given priority in the Health Sector Strategic Master Plan 2006-2015 and the medium-term expenditure framework. Recent mortality data show that Mongolia is on track to achieve its MDG for child health.