Early years
Children’s fundamental rights remain a major challenge in Ethiopia. Poverty deprives children in their early years of life to adequate food, clean water, and medicine. Preliminary results from the 2000 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (DHS 2001) indicate roughly that: The major diseases affecting children under-five, such as acute respiratory infection, diarrhoeal diseases, measles, malaria and malnutrition are responsible for 70 per cent of childhood morbidity and mortality. Diarrhoeal disease that could be treated with simple solution accounts to about 46 per cent and acute respiratory infections to 24 per cent of under-five mortality. Measles is one of the major childhood illnesses. Measles-related cases fatality rates range from 3-5 per cent in normal circumstances and 15-20 per cent during outbreaks Malaria prevalent in 75 per cent of the country represents another important threat to children’s rights to survival and health. It accounts for seven per cent of diagnoses for under-ones visiting outpatient departments. It is also estimated that only 20 per cent of under-fives who experience malaria episodes come into contact with the existing clinics. Malnutrition weakens children's ability to resist attacks of the infectious diseases. It also has a negative impact on children's cognitive development. Fifty two per cent of children in Ethiopia are stunted, 11 per cent suffers from wasting, and 47 per cent suffer from severe and moderate underweight. 15 per cent of infants are with low birth weight. Low birth weight closely associated with maternal nutrition. The early life of children in Ethiopia is mostly rural-based. Only16 per cent of the population live in urban area.
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