{"id":6772,"date":"2020-05-24T16:32:33","date_gmt":"2020-05-24T16:32:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/ng\/?p=6772"},"modified":"2020-05-24T16:32:33","modified_gmt":"2020-05-24T16:32:33","slug":"shocker-on-covid-19-950-more-nigerian-children-under-five-may-die-every-day-over-six-months-period-unicef-globally-6000-additional-children-under-five-could-die-daily-estimate-is-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/shocker-on-covid-19-950-more-nigerian-children-under-five-may-die-every-day-over-six-months-period-unicef-globally-6000-additional-children-under-five-could-die-daily-estimate-is-base\/","title":{"rendered":"SHOCKER ON COVID-19! 950 more Nigerian children under five may die every day over six months period\u2014 UNICEF …Globally, 6,000 additional children under five could die daily *Estimate is based on an analysis by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, newly published in The Lancet Global Health journal *Disruptions could result in potentially devastating increases in maternal and child deaths * 6,800 more Nigerian maternal deaths could occur in just six months from now * Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Nigeria\u2019s Country Representative: \u201cWe have made steady progress in reducing preventable child and maternal deaths in Nigeria over the last 20 years \u2013 and it would be devastating if that progress is lost or reversed \u2013 devastating for Nigerian families, communities and for the country as a whole *BY GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU\/AMERICAN FOREIGN BUREAU CHIEF & TAYO ABAYOMI\/HEALTH REPORTER, ABUJA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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SHOCKER\nON COVID-19!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

950\nmore Nigerian children under five may die every day over six months\nperiod<\/strong>\u2014\nUNICEF<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

…Globally,\n 6,000 additional children under five could die daily<\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Estimate\nis based on an analysis by researchers from the Johns Hopkins\nBloomberg School of Public Health, newly published in <\/strong>The\nLancet Global Health <\/strong><\/em>journal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Disruptions\ncould result in potentially devastating increases in maternal and\nchild deaths<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*\n6,800 more Nigerian maternal deaths could occur in just six months\nfrom now<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*\nPeter Hawkins, UNICEF Nigeria\u2019s Country Representative: \u201cWe have\nmade steady progress in reducing preventable child and maternal\ndeaths in Nigeria over the last 20 years \u2013 and it would be\ndevastating if that progress is lost or reversed \u2013 devastating for\nNigerian families, communities and for the country as a whole<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*BY\nGEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU\/AMERICAN FOREIGN BUREAU CHIEF & TAYO\nABAYOMI\/HEALTH REPORTER, ABUJA<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nUnited Nations Children’s Fund is a United Nations agency, UNICEF has\ncome out in the open in its latest projection based on data that\nmortality rate in children under the age of five in Nigeria would hit\n950 in few months from now. In other words, UNICEF is saying an\nadditional 950 Nigerian children could die every day from preventable\ncauses over the next six months as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts\nroutine services and threatens to weaken the health system. <\/strong>The\nreport revealed that globally, 6,000 additional children under five\ncould die every day.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nestimate is based on an analysis by researchers from the Johns\nHopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, newly published in <\/strong>The\nLancet Global Health <\/em>journal.\n<\/strong>In\na commentary to the Lancet report, UNICEF warns these disruptions\ncould result in potentially devastating increases in maternal and\nchild deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nanalysis offers three scenarios of the potential impact of COVID-19\nin 118 low- and middle-income countries, including Nigeria. In the\nworst-case scenario, the estimate is that an additional nearly\n173,000 under-five deaths could occur in just six months, due to\nreductions in routine health service coverage levels \u2013 including\nroutine vaccinations \u2013 and an increase in child wasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nNigeria, these potential child deaths would be in addition to the\n475,200 children who already die before their fifth birthday every\nsix months \u2013 threatening to reverse a decade of progress in ending\npreventable under-five child mortality in Nigeria. About 6,800 more\nNigerian maternal deaths could also occur in just six months<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UNICEF\nExecutive Director Henrietta Fore said: <\/strong>\u201c<\/strong>Under\na worst-case scenario, the global number of children dying before\ntheir fifth birthdays could increase for the first time in decades,\u201d\nsaid. \u201cWe must not let mothers and children become collateral\ndamage in the fight against the virus.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter\nHawkins, UNICEF Nigeria\u2019s Country Representative, states: \u201cWe\nhave made steady progress in reducing preventable child and maternal\ndeaths in Nigeria over the last 20 years \u2013 and it would be\ndevastating if that progress is lost or reversed \u2013 devastating for\nNigerian families, communities and for the country as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nunder-five mortality rate has declined gradually over the last two\ndecades in Nigeria \u2013 from 213 deaths per thousand in 1990 to 120\ntoday. This is likely due to improved access and coverage of key\nlifesaving interventions at primary health care and community levels\nand improved immunization rates.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But\nin countries with still overall weak health systems, like Nigeria,\nCOVID-19 is causing disruptions in medical supply chains and\nstraining financial and human resources. Visits to health care\ncentres are declining due to lockdowns, curfews and transport\ndisruptions, and as communities remain fearful of infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According\nto the modeling, and assuming reductions in coverage in the\nworst-case scenario, the 10 countries that could potentially have the\nlargest number of additional child deaths are: Bangladesh, Brazil,\nDemocratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia,\nNigeria, Pakistan, Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\n10 countries that are most likely to witness the highest excess child\nmortality rates under the worst-case scenario are: Djibouti,\nEswatini, Lesotho, Liberia, Mali, Malawi, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra\nLeone and Somalia.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe\nestimates in this new study show that if, for whatever reason,\nroutine health care is disrupted, the increase in child and maternal\ndeaths will be devastating,\u201d said Peter Hawkins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/strong>What\nthis study also shows is the critical importance of continuing to\nprovide of life-saving services during these challenging times. We\nneed to continue to deliver children into a safe pair of hands at a\nwell-equipped clinic; we need to continue to ensure newborns receive\ntheir essential vaccinations and have their births registered; and we\nneed to continue to ensure children get the essential nutrition they\nneed to survive and thrive beyond their first day and throughout\ntheir childhoods.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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