WHO report: Polluted environment kills 1.7 million children a year

India Today , Thursday, March 09, 2017
Correspondent :
Polluted environment is responsible for a quarter of all global deaths of children under five, according to a new report by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

According to the report-"Inheriting a sustainable world: Atlas on children's health and the environment" - unhealthy or polluted environments included dirty water and air, second-hand smoke and lack of adequate hygiene.

Reason behind deaths of 1.7 million children, under the age of 5, a year

• Constant exposure to unsanitary and polluted environments can lead to fatal cases of diarrhoea, malaria and pneumonia, and kills 1.7 million children a year the report said

• "A polluted environment is a deadly one - particularly for young children," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in a statement, according to PTI

• "Their developing organs and immune systems, and smaller bodies and airways, make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water," Chan said.

Highlights of the report:

Harmful exposures can start in the mother's womb and in turn increase the risk of premature birth.

When infants and pre-schoolers get exposed to indoor and outdoor air pollution and second-hand smoke it most of the time leads to an increased risk of pneumonia in childhood, and a lifelong increased risk of chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma.

Air pollution may also increase their lifelong risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer.

Another report from the UN's health agency provides a complete overview of the environment's impact on children's health, illustrating the scale of the challenge.

Every year 5,70,000 children under five years die from respiratory infections, such as pneumonia, attributable to indoor and outdoor air pollution, and second-hand smoke.

Around 3,61,000 children under five years die because of diarrhoea, as a result of poor access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene, the report said.

About 2,70,000 children die during their first month from conditions, including prematurity, which can easily be prevented through access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene in health facilities as well as reducing air pollution.

The report said that 200,000 deaths of children under five years from malaria could be prevented through environmental actions, such as reducing breeding sites of mosquitoes or covering drinking-water storage.

The study further found that 200,000 children under five years die from unintentional injuries attributable to the environment, such as poisoning, falls and drowning.

"A polluted environment results in a heavy toll on the health of our children," said Dr Maria Neira, WHO Director, Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health.

"Investing in the removal of environmental risks to health, such as improving water quality or using cleaner fuels, will result in massive health benefits," said Neira.

 
SOURCE : http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/who-report-polluted-environment/1/899720.html
 


Back to pevious page



The NetworkAbout Us  |  Our Partners  |  Concepts   
Resources :  Databases  |  Publications  |  Media Guide  |  Suggested Links
Happenings :  News  |  Events  |  Opinion Polls  |  Case Studies
Contact :  Guest Book  |  FAQs |  Email Us