Early years
Swaziland’s under-five mortality rose from 90 deaths per thousand live births in 1997 to 156 in 2004. The increases are largely a result of AIDS-related deaths of children infected through mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Approximately 17,000 children are exposed to HIV infection at birth annually. An overall parent-to-child transmission rate of 40 percent, in the absence of prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) services, is causing an estimated 6,800 annual HIV infections or almost 19 babies per day. In addition to AIDS, other common causes of morbidity and mortality are diarrhoea, acute respiratory infection, and mal-nutrition. A weakening of child health programmes during the 1990s, due to health professionals leaving for greener pastures and the growing stress on the limited medical facilities, led to a new generation of caregivers. More than 80 percent of these caregivers have little knowledge of the danger signs or basic practices to manage diarrhoea, or how to recognize a child with signs of pneumonia, among other basic care issues. Mothers who opt for formula feeding to avoid breastfeeding before age 4-6 months can cause much harm to the child. Unsafe water, lack of household capacity to sterilize utensils, unreliable formula supplies and inability of the family to sustain funds for formula lead to diseases and malnutrition. Approximately 40 percent of children are stunted and 12 percent are malnourished. (Source: UNICEF State of the Children Report 2005) The government is working with development partners to reverse the trend of infant mortality by building the capacity of communities and encouraging the delivery of integrated services at community level, especially for HIV/AIDS and management of childhood illnesses.
|
