Bangladesh issues call to action to end preventable child deaths by 2035

The government of Bangladesh issued a call to action to end preventable child deaths in the country by 2035. The government plans to build on the progress made in reducing maternal and child mortality in the past 40 years by scaling up interventions proven through research to address the remaining preventable causes of child morality in the country. Bangladesh will place emphasis on ensuring the survival of newborns through cost-effective and simple interventions. “Bangladesh has achieved significant success in reducing under-5 child mortality,” A.F.M. Ruhal Haque, the minister of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, said. “However, the rate of neonatal mortality reduction is comparatively slower than the overall under-five child mortality reduction. We need to address this now as 60 percent of child mortality in Bangladesh is due to neonatal mortality.” The main causes of neonatal deaths in Bangladesh are complications at birth, prematurity, neonatal infections and birth asphyxia. The main...