Global Essay: The Tragic Truth of Child Mortality

The Tragic Truth of Child Mortality

Natalie N. Calico

312581

034W

Leslie Jewkes

November 29^th, 2011

Abstract

Child mortality is a worldwide crisis that every country struggles with each day. Preventable diseases steal the lives of vulnerable children who do not have access to vaccinations. Unsanitary environments thick with turmoil and chaos; leave children worldwide left in despair. Without a healthy environment children are not able to thrive and be educated. Hunger kills millions of innocent children who do not have the availability of food and nourishment. Nutrition is a vital part of children’s development and quality of life. In order for child mortality to be reduced worldwide individuals need to work together to make a difference. Children’s lives cannot wait; they need individuals with compassion and awareness to help them obtain a brighter future. Child mortality is a worldwide crisis in which each individual ought to open their eyes and discover in order to take the world another step forward.

                               The Tragic Truth of Child Mortality

            Death of a child results in eradication of a strand of radiant pigment for a brighter future in this world. Children are this world’s future; yet many factors are contributing to enlarging child mortality rates around the globe. One of which is diseases which are frequently fatal to children. Disease has the ability to damage every pore and surface of children’s little bodies until they are nothing but a tragic mess to be winced at by the healthy. Unsanitary environments scattered in filth and turmoil is another factor which increases child mortality. In the United States parents worry about their children picking up germs from the playground, or shopping carts. Yet in poverty stricken countries, parents do not have the liveliness to worry about their children trudging through bodily wastes and garbage as they search for something to eat.  This scenario is for poverty’s minority of lucky children whose parents are still alive. Another factor is hunger; which is a feeling known mostly to the United States as a growl or gurgle in the stomach before lunch break starts. Yet all too many children know hunger as an agonizing death. Hunger eats children from the inside out until they have nothing left to show on the outside. Hunger cripples the living into wishing they were dead. To many children in the world death is not just a fear, but a guarantee. Child mortality is a worldwide crisis in which each individual ought to open their eyes and discover in order to take the world another step forward.

            Disease is a large factor in worldwide child mortality. Children’s bodies are meant to be resilient and adaptable for their development and growth. However, when children are already frail before becoming diseased it only makes it harder for their bodies to cope. It is important for children’s immune systems to be ready to fight off harmful diseases that may infect their health. Immunizations are incredibly vital to reducing child mortality. The World Health Organization claims, “Immunization is a proven tool for controlling and eliminating life-threatening infectious diseases and is estimated to avert over between 2 and 3 million deaths each year” (“WHO”). It is remarkable that such a simple form of medicine is able to help so many innocent children from cruel preventable diseases. The issue is many children worldwide even in the United States are not being immunized. It is obviously vital for children in poverty countries to be immunized, due to the large number of diseases and lack of sanitation. However, it should also be just as evidently crucial for children in wealthier developed countries to be immunized. Immunizations should be for everyone, only then can populations be at their strongest for battling preventable illnesses.  A journal article showing research on child immunizations states, “Conventional methods of classifying causes of death suggest that about 70% of the deaths of children (aged 0-4 years) worldwide are due to diarrhoeal illness, acute respiratory infection, malaria, and immunizable diseases” (Pelletier). Without immunizations child mortality would become uncontrollable. A journal researching the reasons for children not obtaining immunizations discovered, “The most common reasons for partial or non-immunization were: inadequate knowledge about immunization or subsequent dose; belief that vaccine has side-effects; lack of faith in immunization; or oral polio vaccine is the only vaccine required” (Kumar). The biggest factor in children not being immunized is uneducated parents or an uneducated society. Children not receiving immunizations for any reason should be alarming to not just individual countries, but every country worldwide. The most effective solution to increasing immunizations and reducing child mortality is education. It is important for each individual in this world to understand the importance of vaccinations for every population’s health. Parents, children, everyone, needs to be educated on immunizations and their capacity to prevent and reduce death across the globe.

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In order for children to live healthy long lives it is important for them to have access to healthy environments. However, in many populations healthy environments are far from being achieved, and not at all accessible to children. David Masci explained in his article regarding problems in Africa, “Nearly half of all Africans live in dire poverty. And only 15 percent live in an environment conducive to economic growth and development” (Masci). Without healthy environments countries are not able to flourish and their child mortality rates are unable to decrease. While Africa is the only place addressed in Masci’s article, the information is applicable to many more locations throughout the world. A journal discussing information on an updated analysis of the Millennium Development Goals predicts, “Even though progress on reducing maternal and child mortality in most countries is accelerating, most developing countries will take many years past 2015 to achieve the targets of the MDGs 4 and 5” (Christopher). In order for the world to reduce child mortality, each country must take large strides toward improving their environments. Turmoil swept, poverty stricken, and polluted environments are not going to have success in producing and raising healthy children until they are improved.   It is estimated that each year, “around three million children under the age of five die due to environment-related diseases” (“WHO”). Clearly, unhealthy environments are detrimental to children and need to be fixed. A health issue the United States takes largely for granted is sanitation. Developing countries around the globe do not have the luxuries of plumbing and clean drinking water. Their water is often contaminated with fecal matter and other unsettling wastes. Innocent children willingly expose their body systems to harmful bacteria’s because they have no education or choice to do otherwise. The World Health Organization sadly reports, “Diarrhoeal diseases claim the lives of nearly 1.5 million children every year. Eighty to 90 percent of these diarrhoea cases are related to environmental conditions, in particular, contaminated water and inadequate sanitation” (“WHO”). Drinking water is suppose to be a vital part of supporting life and growth, but to children in unsanitary environments water is a death sentence. Pollution is another environmental factor that needs to be eliminated in order to reduce child mortality. The World Health Organization declares, “Acute respiratory infections annually kill an estimated 1.6 million children under the age of five. As much as 60 percent of acute respiratory infections worldwide are related to environmental conditions” (“WHO”). Respiratory infections are preventable and should not be claiming the lives of so many vulnerable children. If pollution is not reduced then child mortality will not be reduced. Pollution is an issue children cannot control and therefore the polluting sources of countries worldwide should be educated and put to a stop. There is no excuse for knowingly causing the deaths of millions of helpless children. It is imperative that countries have healthy environments in order to give each child a fair and encouraging start at life.

Millions of children worldwide experience hunger every day. Nutrition is a fundamental part of a child’s development. Children need food and nourishment in able to grow and be healthy. Abundant food is something that many individuals in the United States take for granted. The United States wastes multitudes of food every day. That food being wasted could be put towards other countries famines, or hungry children in America. In David Masci’s article discussing famine in Africa, he reports, “…more than 40 million Africans are facing starvation including 14.4 million in southern Africa” (Masci). The numbers of starving individuals in Africa is alarming in itself. However, Africa is not the only location on earth facing starvation. Across the world children are dying of malnutrition due to lack of food. Due to how much food is produced in the world each day, no child should go to bed hungry. While food on earth may seem abundant; it is not accessible to a large majority of populations. Many countries are experiencing droughts and famines that make it impossible for children to obtain the nutrition they need. In a world news article it is reported that, “Three-quarters of a million people are facing death by starvation in Somalia according the United Nations, who declared Monday that famine had spread to a sixth southern region of the beleaguered Horn of Africa state” ("Malnutrition”). Starvation is a dreadful way for individuals to die. It is tragic so many children are victims of hunger when the food exists to save them, but it is not in their reach. Hunger usually arises from areas in dire poverty. Poverty exists in every country in the world. It is estimated that 15.7 million children in America live in poverty (“Every”). Even in America, a place where everyone appears so well fed. So why are so many innocent children dying from hunger when the world has massive amounts of food? The world has the ability to make enormous strides with preventing hunger from killing children. The tragic truth is that until the world becomes less selfish it will be almost impossible to make improvements in reducing hunger. Darin Zarbnisky, a high school advanced placement environmental science teacher stated, “Probably the biggest problem with child mortality not improving, is the reality that we are a global society that by sheer numbers spends more time thinking about ourselves, than they do about others.  The global attitude seems more concerned with "me, me, me!" (Zarbnisky).  Human nature results in individuals being naturally selfish. However, human nature can only be blamed to an extent. It is no excuse for individuals to think of themselves only and turn their heads to the global problems surrounding them. Before hunger can be reduced, individuals must open their eyes and experience true compassion for suffering children. Child mortality could be heavily reduced if hunger was reduced and nutrition became a part of every child’s life. Eliminating hunger would make the world a more peaceful place, and would save millions of children, ensuring a brighter future for the world.

Children are designed for laughter and play. Their childhood is supposed to remind the world good and genuine innocence truly exists. By reducing child mortality the world will be a happier healthier place for everyone not just children. It is the children that are the future. They represent hope. In order for them to continue being our hope we must first show them that there is such thing. Education is the key to every success. The only way to reduce child mortality substantially is to educate the world on the shocking reality of child mortality. Individuals cannot sit back and hope that someone will make a difference. The only way for change to occur is if each individual acts together. Donate food to your local food bank, volunteer at the American Red Cross, advocate the benefits of immunizations, or educate children on the importance of nutrition and hygiene. The important thing is to do something. If everyone turns their head or waits for someone else to make a difference then nothing will ever be accomplished and child mortality will continue to increase. If each individual did just a little it could all add up to a lot. You never know the difference a can of food could make to a starving child, or the difference a warm blanket could make to a child who sleeps on cardboard every night. There are numerous organizations with the tools and connections for individuals to join together and take a step forward in making the world a safer and happier place for children worldwide. Do not wait for tomorrow, or for a more convenient time, but decide right now to begin making your contribution towards a change. Reducing child mortality is vital for the future of this planet and you will never regret making a precious child’s smile gleam brighter. Children need someone to care about their existence and help them thrive in this often unfair world. Children need your compassion, and they need it right now. What if you were a child alone and hungry, your bones poking through your skin, and your once bright eyes now dully sunken into your skull? What if your environment was in complete turmoil and there was no safe place for you to lay down your weary body at night? What if your mother had died of a disease you couldn’t understand, and you had no one left to depend on but yourself? What if no one was willing to help you, and when they heard your story, and saw your pleading eyes, they walked away and pretended you weren’t as bad off as you looked? Every child deserves kindness and nourishment in their lives. Every child deserves to have a well fed stomach and strong bones. Every child deserves a healthy start to their future. Every child deserves a future. Make the decision now to participate in the goal of reducing child mortality. You never know whose life you might be changing, or how big of an impact you will leave in the heart of an innocent child struggling to survive. 

                                                             Works Cited
Christopher J L Murray, et al. "Progress Towards Millennium Development Goals 4 And 5 On      Maternal And Child Mortality: An Updated Systematic Analysis." Lancet 378.9797 (2011): 1139-1165. MEDLINE. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

"Every Child Deserves To Thrive." Share Our Strength. Web. 29 Nov. 2011.

Kumar, Devendra, Anju Aggarwal, and Sunil Gomber. "Immunization Status Of Children Admitted To A Tertiary-Care Hospital Of North India: Reasons For Partial Immunization Or Non-Immunization." Journal Of Health, Population, & Nutrition 28.3 (2010): 300-304. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.

"Malnutrition Taking Its Toll on Somali Children." News Bank Inc. Agence France-Presse, 6 Sept. 2011. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.

Masci, David. "Famine in Africa." CQ Researcher. 8 Nov. 2002. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

Pelletier, D. L. "The Effects of Malnutrition on Child Mortality in Developing Countries." Google Scholar. Web. 12 Nov. 2011.

"WHO | Children's Environmental Health." World Health Organization. Web. 24 Nov. 2011.

"WHO | Immunization." World Health Organization. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

Zarbnisky, Darin. Personal Interview by Natalie Calico. 11/28/2011.