Pneumonia. Pneumonia is the leading infectious cause of death among children under 5, killing approximately 700,000 children a year.
Globally, infectious diseases, including pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria, remain a leading cause of under-five deaths, along with preterm birth and intrapartum-related complications. The global under-five mortality rate declined by 59 per cent, from 93 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 38 in 2021.
1. Colds & the Seasonal Flu. Colds and influenza are caused by viruses and are the most common childhood illness.
Dental cavities (also known as caries or decay) is the most common chronic disease in children: it is about 5 times more common than asthma and 7 times more common than hay fever1. It is also preventable.
Globally, infectious diseases, including pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria, along with pre-term birth complications, birth asphyxia and trauma and congenital anomalies remain the leading causes of death for children under 5 years.
What are the leading causes of child deaths? In 2015–17, the leading causes of child deaths were injuries (33%), cancer (19%) and diseases of the nervous system (10%)—rates of 3.5, 2.1 and 1.0 per 100,000 children, respectively.
Accidents (unintentional injuries) are, by far, the leading cause of death among children and teens. 0 to 1 year: Developmental and genetic conditions that were present at birth.
Under 5 Mortality Rate (U5MR) for the country has shown significant decline of 3 points (Annual Decline Rate: 8.6%) from 2019 (32 per 1000 live births in 2020 against 35 per 1000 live births in 2019). It varies from 36 in rural areas to 21 in urban areas. U5MR for Female is higher (33) than male (31).
Fifth disease is a mild rash illness caused by parvovirus B19. It is more common in children than adults. A person usually gets sick with fifth disease within 14 days after getting infected with parvovirus B19.
But children in particular face a greater risk for unintentional poisoning death and exposure than adults. This is not only because they are smaller, but also because they have faster metabolic rates. They are less able physically to handle toxic chemicals.
Fifth disease is a mild illness caused by a virus called parvovirus B19. It is rarely serious. Its most obvious symptom is the bright red rash or “slapped cheek” look of the face. The disease occurs most often during the late winter and early spring in children between the ages of 4 and 10.
Injuries (including road traffic injuries and drowning) are the leading causes of death among older children and young adolescents. In fact, injuries rank among the top causes of death and lifelong disability among those aged 5–14 years.
SIDS is the leading cause of death among infants 1 month to 1 year old, and remains unpredictable despite years of research. Even so, the risk of SIDS can be greatly reduced. Most important: Babies younger than 1 year old should be placed on their backs to sleep — never on their stomachs or on their sides.
U5DR is the total number of under-five deaths divided by the under-five mid-period population of the recall period. To get the mid-period population you need to take your total current population at the time of data collection, and subtract ½ of people born and add ½ people died during the recall period.
Under-five mortality rate
In 2020, under-5 mortality rate for Australia was 3.43 deaths per thousand live births. Under-5 mortality rate of Australia fell gradually from 20.52 deaths per thousand live births in 1971 to 3.43 deaths per thousand live births in 2020.
Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000 live births) in Australia was reported at 3.7 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources.
Fatal drowning is the leading cause of death for children 1-4 and the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children 5-14, behind motor vehicle crashes.
The previous analysis, which examined data through 2016, showed that firearm-related injuries were second only to motor vehicle crashes (both traffic-related and nontraffic-related) as the leading cause of death among children and adolescents, defined as persons 1 to 19 years of age.
Unintentional injuries (accidents) are the leading cause of death after age 1 year through adolescence. The leading cause of death for those younger than 1 year is congenital anomalies, and childhood cancers and heart disease cause a significantly lower percentage of deaths in children older than 1 year of age.
More than 70% of these child deaths are due to five diseases, namely pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria, measles and malnutrition, and often to a combination of these conditions. These diseases are also the reasons for seeking care for at least three out of four children who come to health facilities.
Leading causes of under-five death include preterm birth complications, birth trauma, pneumonia, congenital anomalies, diarrhea, and malaria, [2, 6], which are preventable with affordable interventions.
Preterm birth, intrapartum-related complications (birth asphyxia or inability to breathe at birth), infections and birth defects are the leading causes of most neonatal deaths.