It wasn't all bad
For the first time since it began keeping records, 47 years ago, UNICEF has determined that the number of annual deaths among young children has fallen below 10 million. Last year, 9.7 million children around the world died before reaching age 5, down from about 20 million in 1960. Among the chief reasons for the drop, UNICEF officials said, were increased vaccinations; wider use of mosquito netting and anti-malarial measures; and the growing popularity of breast-feeding in place of formulas that often are mixed with polluted water. “We feel we’re at a tipping point now,” said UNICEF’s chief medical officer, Dr. Peter Salama. “In a few years’ time, it will all translate into a very exciting drop.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Political cartoons for February 11Cartoons Wednesday's political cartoons include erasing Epstein, the national debt, and disease on demand
-
The Week contest: Lubricant larcenyPuzzles and Quizzes
-
Can the UK take any more rain?Today’s Big Question An Atlantic jet stream is ‘stuck’ over British skies, leading to ‘biblical’ downpours and more than 40 consecutive days of rain in some areas
