CAUSES OF PEDIATRIC CHILDHOOD MORTALITY

By: Doctor ADANAN BHUTTA
Professor of Pediatric
From Indianapolis, Indiana
Professor and Division Chief

Monrovia, Liberia – Monday, April 28, 2025 – A professor of pediatrics from the State of Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America, stated in his presentation at Monday’s Ground Meetings that most childhood mortality happens at home before the child arrives at the hospital or a nearby health facility.
He said Malaria, HIV and Pneumonia are primary causes of pediatric Childhood Mortality in developing countries.

Speaking Monday at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Lobby, Dr Bhutta said a global study reveals that South Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia are known for some of the worst Childhood Mortality rates globally.

Meanwhile, “20 per cent of those deaths occurred in Asia, while 32 per cent happened in South Saharan Africa”, Dr. Bhutta said during his excellent presentation Monday.

Diarrhea and pneumonia, He said, are one of the causes of child death worldwide.

However, the mortality rate of Liberia and Ghana between 2020 and 2024 shows that Liberia’s infant mortality rate declined from 59.30 to 57.80 per 1,000 live births; in comparison, Ghana’s infant mortality rate remained constant at 50.20 per 1,000 live births.

Comparing Sub-Saharan Africa’s Child mortality rate to those in both countries, Dr. Bhutta also said the causes of death in children in the United States of America and Africa are the same; the difference he stated are resources the US has to manage the four causes of child death which are malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia and HIV and Aids.

In his closing statement, Dr. Bhutta also mentioned that ‘Socioeconomic’ impacts are not the main things that influence healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa; the problem is about the healthcare systems, what he refers to as “the 4 S’s or the four SSSS. That is, Staff, Stuff, Structure and Systems.