Early years

Early years

Primary School Years

Primary School Years

Adolescence

Adolescence

 

Early years

© UNICEF Azerbaijan/2004/Pirozzi

Azerbaijan has the highest child mortality rate in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which is particularly striking given its per-capita GNP.

The infant mortality rate is high, at 74 per 1,000 live births. Discrepancies with official statistics,according to which this figure is about five times less, make international comparisons and assessment of trends difficult.

Inadequate standards for collecting official data have resulted in underestimation of the problems facing the country. The most important gap in official and survey data is found in infant, child and maternal mortality rates.

The infant mortality rate is high, at 74 per 1,000 live births.

Respiratory diseases are the main killer of infants, accounting for approximately one half of total deaths, with diarrhea diseases being the second most frequent cause.

Children’s poor nutritional status is a major underlying cause of child mortality. One in six children under five years of age is underweight and almost one fifth of children are stunted. There are significant regional disparities, with the rates twice as much as the national average in some regions. Only one out of ten infants aged 0-3 months is exclusively breastfed.

© UNICEF Azerbaijan/2004/Pirozzi

Child at kindergarten

Household wealth appears to correlate very strongly with nutritional status. A 2000 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) found that levels of underweight among children in households living in poverty are twice those of wealthier households.

As some studies indicate, as many as 15 per cent of births in the country go unregistered, on account of bureaucratic procedures and the existence of informal payments for registration.

The government adopted a law in 2001 prohibiting the production, import and sale of non-iodized salt for the mass treatment of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD). The rate of household consumption of iodized salt reached 70 per cent in 2003, bringing universal salt iodization closer.

According to the recent survey results, four out of five children under five years of age have vitamin A deficiency, while almost one fifth of women suffer from anemia.

Approximately 24 of Azerbaijan’s 65 regions are believed to be contaminated by landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). Of the total number of people killed by a landmine or UXO to date, 13 per cent have been children. Unresolved nature of conflict in the region rules out mass clearing of landmines

Vaccination coverage in the country is high. In the past, vaccines have been provided entirely by UNICEF, but from 2003 the government has been covering 100 per cent of the costs incurred excluding Hepatitis B. DPT3 coverage among the one-year-olds was 97.4 per cent in 2002 while measles coverage varied from 98.8 per cent for one-year-olds to 97.2 per cent among six-year-olds.

In Azerbaijan, nearly three quarters of population use drinking water from improved drinking water sources. While the figure is above 94 per cent for the Baku area, it declines to 65 per cent in the South. Access of the rural population to safe drinking water appears to be a problem (58 per cent).