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Media
Coverage
AFP
- Billions of dollars of investments and stronger political
will are needed to reduce the 11 million child deaths that occur
each year from preventable and treatable causes, leading health
experts told an international conference in Stockholm on 12
March. Gro
Harlem Brundtland, the Director-General of the World Health Organization
(WHO) which convened the conference together with UNICEF,
described the 11 million figure as "staggering”. Blaming
the deaths primarily on poverty, Brundtland urged developing and
industrial countries to increase their investments in child and
adolescent health care in the poorest parts of the world. UNICEF
Executive Director Carol Bellamy stressed that political leadership had to
accompany the resources. "There's no question that more
resources are needed, but leadership and the willingness to
invest those resources in basic services are needed as well”,
she underlined.
DPA
- Almost 11 million children die every year of preventable and
treatable causes, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Tuesday. “Of the
11 million who die, 8 million are babies, half of them in the
first month of life", WHO Director-General and former
Norwegian premier Gro Harlem Brundtland was quoted as saying.
Poverty is an overriding cause. In a call for commitment to
saving children's lives, the WHO and the UNICEF have convened a
Global Consultation on Child and Adolescent Health and
Development in Stockholm starting Tuesday. "We now know
that about 90 percent of the children that die each year, die at
home," said Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF.
"How children are cared for at home and in their community
has a decisive impact on their chances of survival. We need to
provide parents and caregivers with essential knowledge and
commodities that can save the lives of their children.”
BBC
- Up to one in five of the world's children is suffering mental
or behavioural problems according to two UN agencies. The World
Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund warn
that this will lead to serious public health problems in the
future unless more is done to address the issue. They pin the
blame on rapid social and economic change and poverty. Children
growing up in war zones face the toughest problems but experts
also warn that those in countries such as the UK are far from
immune. The report highlights big increases in depression and
suicide among children and adolescents. Of particular concern
are teenagers, a group which the WHO and UNICEF believe is
neglected by many public health doctors, but one which is more
likely to suffer serious health problems than younger children.
Australian
Broadcasting Carp - The World Health Organisation and
the United Nations Children's agency, UNICEF, say almost 11
million youngsters die each year of preventable diseases and
illnesses, like pneumonia, malaria, measles, AIDS and
malnutrition. They also say that up to a fifth of the world's
children have mental or behavioural problems. The two respected
organisations are suggesting that a child growing up in the developed
world is as likely to suffer mental or behavioural problems as
another growing up in a war zone. Armed conflicts and migration
compound to the difficulties children face, but UNICEF and the WHO
say rapid social and economic change and poverty are the root
causes of these mental health problems.
Reuters,
Yahoo Daily News, ABC - Western countries pouring
resources into the fight against terrorism would gel a better
return if they spent more on preventing the unnecessary deaths
of millions of children, senior U.N. official said Tuesday.
Carol Bellamy, Head of the U.N. Children's Fund UNICEF, told
Reuters that investment in preventive medicine in poor countries
would save children's lives and boost prosperity, eliminating
one of the causes of violence. "To focus only on terrorism
is to see only half of the picture or maybe only a quarter of
the picture," Bellamy said. “I think that in the long run
the focus really needs to be on preventing the creation of an
environment that engenders and encourages distrust and hate and
violent activity." Each year almost 11 million children die
from causes that could be prevented or treated using cheap means
such as mosquito nets, vaccines or vitamins, UNICEF and the
World Health Organization (WHO) said in s report to a joint
WHO/UNICEF conference in Sweden. "If we know how to prevent
these deaths, more should be done than has been done,"
Bellamy said.
Herald
Sun (Australia) - Up to one in every five children in
the world suffers from mental or behavioural problems, two UN
agencies say. The World Health Organisation and the United
Nations Children's Fund blamed rapid social and economic change
and poverty for the phenomenon. Every year, almost 1.5 million
adolescents die from substance abuse, pregnancy-related
complications, suicide, injuries and violence. The agencies
highlighted big rises in depression and suicide.
AP,
Washington Post, Ananova.com - Saying almost 11
million children die each year of preventable causes, leading
health experts were seeking ways to extend resources to “the
poorest and the youngest” at an international conference. The
World Health Organization and UNICEF, which organized the
meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday, said pneumonia, diarrhoea,
malaria, measles, HIV/AIDS and malnutrition were the main causes
of death and most could be blamed on poverty. The experts,
politicians and health officials were to place a special focus
on the health needs of newborn babies who die during the first
weeks of their lives according to a news release. The agencies
said the science and medicine was available but a commitment of
more political will and resources was needed, as well as
investment in helping communities and families to overcome
health problems. “The resources needed to reach every child
and adolescent are well within the means of our wealthy
world." UNICEF chief Carol Bellamy said.
Clarin
(Argentina) - At least 11 million children under five
years old die each year from preventable causes and 90 percent
of them die in their homes, because of lack of treatment, or
knowledge of proper care, according to a report from UNICEF.
UNICEF has just published “Saber para salvar"
(Facts for Life) which explains how to prevent these deaths. For
each problem, the experts have set out some “golden rules”,
clear and practical, which families and health care workers can
easily apply.
VOA
- Two United Nations agencies are launching a health publication
they hope will save children's lives. The World Health
Organization and the U.N's children's agency, UNICEF, say that
nearly 11 million children die every year from preventable and
treatable causes. And most of these deaths - about 90 percent of
them - occur at home. UNICEF spokeswoman Wivina Belmonte says the
agency is issuing an updated version of a booklet called
“Facts for Life." The goal of the booklet, she says, is
to save the lives of young people by providing basic medical
information to families that don't have access to a doctor.
VOA
- Health experts from many countries are holding a
two-day conference in Stockholm, Sweden, to discuss how to help
the world's poorest children. The World Health Organization
(WHO) and UNICEF, which have organized the conference, say the
main causes of death for poor children include pneumonia,
diarrhea, malaria, malnutrition and HIV/AIDS. The agencies
stress that many of the deaths are preventable, but there is a
need for more political will and resources.
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