EUROPE/SWITZERLAND - The precautions that would prevent death due to pneumonia and diarrhea of 2 million children

Geneva (Agenzia Fides) - There is a serious disparity in medical treatment and preventive treatment of diseases such as diarrhea and pneumonia. If the young ones of the 75 countries which have the highest infant mortality rate were to be treated the same way as 20% of their peers in the same countries, at least two million less would die for the next 3 years. It would only take wordly wisdom such as access to drinking water, sanitation services, the various programs of immunization and good nutrition, especially during the period of breastfeeding to avoid such diseases. This is what emerges in the report just released by UNICEF. Despite the strides made in healthcare, according to experts, less than 40% of babies under six months in developing countries are breast fed. Furthermore, recent data show that 90% of deaths caused by severe diarrhea are due to ingestion of drinking water, lack of access to sanitation facilities and inadequate hygiene. Only 60% of children with pneumonia can be treated in a medical center, less than 50% for Sub-Saharan Africa. In general, in developing countries, only 30% of children are being treated with antibiotics if diagnosed with pneumonia, while only 39% of children suffering from diarrhea, have access to oral rehydration solutions, with the risk of dying also due to dehydration. Experts say that if the entire child population of the poorest countries lived in the same conditions of life of the richest, they would register a 30% reduction in deaths due to pneumonia and 60% for diarrhea. 90% is concentrated among the poorest people in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 08/06/2012)