1 in 10 Zambian Children Die Before Age 5, WHO Says by UN Wire 8:49am 27th Jul, 2004   July 29, 2004    Out of every 1,000 children born in Zambia, 168 die before age 5, and 60 to 70 percent of those deaths are preventable, World Health Organization country representative Stella Anyangwe said Tuesday.    "The main causes of deaths in children under 5 are malaria, pneumonia, diarrhea, malnutrition and anemia," Anyangwe said.  "Complete immunization of our children can reduce child deaths in Zambia."    She added that incidents of malaria in children could be reduced by 20 percent with the use of insecticide-treated nets, while access to clean water and hand washing could reduce incidents of diarrhea.    Health Minister Brian Chituwo said that with 20 percent of Zambia's population of 10.3 million under age 5, investing in the health and nutrition of that demographic group would support the country's economic growth.    "Zambia, like many other countries in our region, cannot afford a business-as-usual attitude to child survival if we are to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of child mortality reduction," Anyangwe said (Larry Moonze, Lusaka Post/allAfrica.com, July 28).
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