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Strong Local Voice, Strong Local ChampionAnnette Brooke, Lib Dem MP for Mid Dorset & North Poole |
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Annette Brooke MP backs campaign to end child preventable child deaths
February 11, 2010 12:00 AM
Annette Brooke MP today backed the global campaign to end preventable child deaths. Annette added her name to the list of MPs calling for action to end the international child health emergency that is currently claiming the lives of 24,000 children under the age of five every day.
She joined World Vision, one of the world's largest development organisations, in calling on governments around the world to make child health a political priority in order to deal with this unacceptable loss of life.
Nearly nine million children die each year before their fifth birthday in the developing world; the overwhelming majority from preventable conditions such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and neonatal complications. At least two-thirds of these children could be saved if governments made child health a priority and refocused health spending on prevention in the community and not just cures at the clinic.
Annette commented:
"It's unacceptable that every year millions of children in poorer countries are dying from things which are easily prevented here in the UK, like diarrhoea and measles. Government's need to be smarter about where they are spending money on health to make sure that more lives are saved."
Justin Byworth, Chief Executive of World Vision UK said:
"Over a quarter of a billion children live in a healthcare desert, miles from the nearest clinic or hospital. These unreachable children need simple life-savers in their homes and villages, such as mosquito nets, nutritional supplements and safe, clean drinking water, if we are going to prevent children dying from conditions such as diarrhoea and malaria."
World Vision's report CHILD HEALTH NOW, is a global five-year campaign to hold governments to account on their pledge to cut under-five deaths by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015. There is still time to achieve this target, but drastic action is required.
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