UNICEF report: Infant mortality rates still high

The mortality rate is a result of various factors, such as nutrition, availability of safe water, child and maternal services available, the availability of medication and immunisation. The report provides a detailed picture of the conditions facing newborn children around the world.

The five countries with the highest rates of infant mortality were Sierra Leone, with 270 deaths per 1,000 live births; Angola with 260; Afghanistan with 257; Niger with 253; and Liberia with 235. In contrast, Sweden and Iceland were among the countries with the lowest mortality rates—3 deaths per 1,000 live births.

The report notes, “For every newborn baby who dies, another 20 suffer birth injury, complications arising from preterm birth or other neonatal conditions.... [A]t present in the developing world, one quarter of pregnant women do not receive even a single visit from skilled health personnel.... [O]nly 59% of births take place with the assistance of a skilled attendant; and just half take place in a health facility.”