A new report from UNICEF and its partners in the Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (IGME), Levels and Trends in Child Mortality Report 2017, shows that Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo India, Pakistan, and Ethiopia accounted for half of all newborn deaths. The largest number of newborn deaths occurred in Southern Asia (39 percent), followed by sub-Saharan Africa (38 percent).

Every year, millions of children under 5 years of age die, mostly from preventable causes such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria. In almost half of the cases, malnutrition plays a role, while unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene are also significant contributing factors.

Based on current trends, 30 million newborns would die between 2017 and 2030. Eighty percent of these deaths would occur in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. About one in six of these deaths (5 million) could be averted if
countries at risk of missing the SDG target with low rates of progress and high neonatal mortality rates accelerate progress.



Read more https://barometerng.com/nigeria-dr-congo-3-others-accounted-for-half-of-all-global-newborn-deaths/