Cited by 2,244Global Maternal and Child HealthChild Nutrition and Water AccessPoverty, Education, and Child Welfare

How many child deaths can we prevent this year?

Jones, Gareth, Steketee, Richard W, Black, Robert E, Bhutta, Zulfiqar A, Morris, Saul S·2003·The Lancet

Abstract

This is the second of five papers in the child survival series. The first focused on continuing high rates of child mortality (over 10 million each year) from preventable causes: diarrhoea, pneumonia, measles, malaria, HIV/AIDS, the underlying cause of undernutrition, and a small group of causes leading to neonatal deaths. We review child survival interventions feasible for delivery at high coverage in low-income settings, and classify these as level 1 (sufficient evidence of effect), level 2 (limited evidence), or level 3 (inadequate evidence). Our results show that at least one level-1 intervention is available for preventing or treating each main cause of death among children younger than 5 years, apart from birth asphyxia, for which a level-2 intervention is available. There is also limited evidence for several other interventions. However, global coverage for most interventions is below 50%. If level 1 or 2 interventions were universally available, 63% of child deaths could be prevented. These findings show that the interventions needed to achieve the millennium development goal of reducing child mortality by two-thirds by 2015 are available, but that they are not being delivered to the mothers and children who need them.

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Crossref · 10.1016/s0140-6736(03)13811-1

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  • Most deaths from diarrhoea and pneumonia are preventable with high coverage of existing interventions.

    “Most deaths from diarrhoea and pneumonia are preventable95 with high coverage of existing interventions (as shown in the second paper in this Series96).”

    From Global burden of childhood pneumonia and diarrhoea (2013) · cites this paper as [95]

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Authors
Jones, G., Steketee, R. W., Black, R. E., Bhutta, Z. A., & Morris, S. S.
Affiliations
  • United Nations Children's Fund (US)
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US)
  • Johns Hopkins University (US)
  • Aga Khan University (PK)
  • London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (GB)
Corresponding author
Jones, Gareth
Venue
The Lancet
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2003-07
Volume
362
Issue
9377
Pages
65-71
ISSN
  • 0099-5355 (ISSN-L)
  • 0140-6736
OpenAlex
W2146241019
Cited by
2,244
References
35
Citations by year
2026: 24 · 2025: 34 · 2024: 76 · 2023: 52 · 2022: 86 · 2021: 87 · 2020: 81 · 2019: 92 · 2018: 85 · 2017: 104 · 2016: 122 · 2015: 140 · 2014: 161 · 2013: 141 · 2012: 144
FWCI
14.76
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • The Lancet (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DigitalGeorgetown (Georgetown University Library) (submittedVersion)
  • LSHTM Research Online (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Global Maternal and Child Health
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Child Nutrition and Water Access
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare
Keywords
child mortality, avoidable causes of death, diarrhea, pneumonia, measles, malaria, HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, neonatal death, neonatal asphyxia, intervention coverage, Millennium Development Goals, low-income settings
MeSH terms
Child, Preschool, Developing Countries, Humans, Infant, Infant Mortality, Poverty, Preventive Health Services, Evidence-Based Medicine, Universal Health Insurance

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