Nigeria, Four Others Have Under-Five Death Rate of Over 100 per 1,000 Live Births, UNICEF Report Suggests

Recent information from the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) has positioned Nigeria among the four nations worldwide where the rate of under-five mortality is well over 100 deaths per every 1,000 live births. Despite relative improvement, the country’s death rate is remarkably high, further emphasizing the need for it to ensure child survival.

The report indicates that Nigeria’s under-five mortality stands at 102 deaths per 1,000 live births. The rate places Nigeria in a group of countries like India, Pakistan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo where mortality rates remain consistently high.

Nigeria is far from meeting the target under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of under-five mortality reducing to a low of 25 deaths per 1,000 live births.

A significant proportion of these deaths occur during the first month of life, and neonatal mortality accounts for nearly a third of all under-five deaths. This highlights the need for enhanced neonatal care, which can save thousands of lives annually.

There are various reasons why Nigeria’s under-five mortality rate is high:
1. Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM):
Severe acute malnutrition is one of the leading causes of high mortality in the country. A UNICEF report emphasizes that children suffering from SAM are nearly 12 times more likely to die than their healthy peers. In Nigeria, approximately 100 children die every hour because of malnutrition-related factors. This paints a poor picture of the nutritional care centers in the nation, and urgency must be accelerated to combat the raging hunger and poor diet, particularly in rural and impoverished parts of society.
2. Food Insecurity:
Food insecurity is also a major cause of children’s death. The report indicates that up to 25 million Nigerians are currently food insecure and are expected to increase to 31 million by mid-2024. Poor nutrition is a direct cause of high rates of preventable malnutrition and illness on the basis of appropriate nutrition support.
3. Neonatal Care Deficiencies
The neonatal death rate remains dramatically high in Nigeria, and most of the deaths are preventable due to infections, perinatal complications, and poor postnatal care. Strengthening the health systems and ensuring that every mother accesses skilled birth attendants and postnatal care is crucial.
4. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
The incidence of Vaccine-derived Poliovirus (cVDPV) in Nigeria is growing. The virus, which emerges from the weakened virus found in oral vaccines, has been reported throughout the country. Immunization of all children and restriction of vaccine-preventable disease transmission are important to reducing mortality.

The report also shows the long-term economic implication of high infant mortality. The economic cost of high child mortality is high, and some argue that Nigeria would reduce its GDP by as much as 15% in case the death rate does not shift. The reduction of the productive age population due to death during childhood and the health care and social cost of dealing with the crisis results in long-term economic instability.

To address the crisis, experts advocate for the expansion of maternal and child healthcare services, increased attempts to prevent malnutrition, and better access to vaccines and medicine. The UNICEF report advocates for greater funding, enhanced healthcare infrastructure, and more effective public health strategies to fight child mortality’s underlying causes.

Since Nigeria is working to achieve the SDG target of reducing under-five mortality, it is clear that swift and joint action needs to be taken in order to prevent avoidable loss of young lives. If action is not taken, the country risks facing even more severe economic and public health crises in the coming decades.