Child Survival Rate In Iraq Plummets

Report Says That In 2005, One In Eight Iraqi Children Died Of Disease Or Violence Before Turning 5

(AP)  The chance that an Iraqi child will live beyond age 5 has plummeted faster than anywhere else in the world since 1990, according to a report released Tuesday that placed the country last in its child survival rankings.

One in eight Iraqi children died of disease or violence before reaching their fifth birthday in 2005, according to the report by Save the Children, which said Iraq ranked last because it had made the least progress toward improving child survival rates.

Iraq's mortality rate has soared by 150 percent since 1990. Even before the latest war, Iraq was plagued by electricity shortages, a lack of clean water and too few hospitals.

The publication, which used data from 1990-2005, also determined that gains in survival rates in some of the world's poorest countries — including Botswana, Zimbabwe and Swaziland — were declining.

The vast majority of child deaths, more than nine in 10, occur in just 60 developing countries, the report said. Of the approximately 10 million children under age 5 who die every year, most could be saved with cheap solutions, like nets to protect against mosquito-borne malaria or antibiotics to treat pneumonia, according to the report.

"These aren't intractable problems," Dr. William Foege, of the Emory University School of Public Health, wrote in a foreword to the report. "It is simply wrong for only the few to have access to all of the tools for survival because of where they live."

About 4 million children die of complications in the first month after birth every year, according to Save the Children. Other causes of death for young children include diarrhea, pneumonia and measles, the group reported.

Among industrialized countries, Iceland had the best child survival rate, and Romania the worst. The United States placed 26th, tied with Croatia, Estonia and Poland. Nearly seven children die for every 1,000 live births in the United States. That was more than double the rate in Iceland, and 75 percent higher than rates in the Czech Republic, Finland, Japan and Slovenia.

Among developing countries, Egypt fared the best, lowering its child mortality rate by 68 percent largely by improving care for pregnant women, ensuring the presence of a skilled attendant during childbirth and providing better family-planning help.

Since 1994, Egypt has also increased health spending by more than 200 percent.

[randalds]

No surprise here, since Bush and his supporters consider Iraqi adults to be sub-humans when compared to Westerners why should we be surprised that they look at Iraqi children the same way. Or perhaps this is just part of Bush's master plan. You know, kill the children there now, so we don't have to kill them here later.

The plain and simple fact is that Bush and Cheney are sociopaths and they don't care who has to die to further their sick crusade or even at what age. They just do not care and neither do any of their supporters. If you still support this insane war, then you are also supporting the murder of little kids. Make you feel good now does it?

[toldyouso21]

We've fallen again, Just a few years ago, we ranked 18th in infant mortality, now we are 26th. Maybe, if we focused more on our own problems and our own country (including our own homeland defense and security--including our borders) maybe...we would be where one would expect the greatest country in the world to be. How ironic and tragic that our ranking puts us on par with 2nd world, Former, Eastern bloc communist countries. Less war, more focus on improving life, health and education for Americans in America, we can clean up the rest of the world--when we finish cleaning our own act and house up first.

[sdb101-2009]

Excellent, we're stopping the next generation of terrorists from attacking us. Let's repeat this process throughout the mideast and clean the West of this cancer of Islam as well.

[sevenveils]

RandalDS - focus your rage on the true murders in Iraq, the Iranians fighting a proxy war through Sadar and the Arabs supporting al Qaeda. These murderous villians are the ones you should oppose, they are the true criminal killers of innocent Iraqi women, children and men.

[ivandrago]

Just a second there. As a whole the U.S. does not try to specifically kill civilians. Somehow people get that mixed up. The U.S. helped create the situation that has allowed murderers and thugs to have a playground.

Ever see "Of Mice and Men"? If you haven't read the book or watch the movie. I think you'll find a striking similarity between President G'Dub and Lennie Smalls. Now that I think about it SNL once did a very funny bit with Will Ferrell as George W. and Dana Carvey as Bush senior.

All I'm saying is that Iraq is like a pretty girl named Candy.

[randalds]

RandalDS - focus your rage on the true murders in Iraq, the Iranians fighting a proxy war through Sadar and the Arabs supporting al Qaeda. These murderous villians are the ones you should oppose, they are the true criminal killers of innocent Iraqi women, children and men.
Posted by Sevenveils at 03:35 PM : May 08, 2007

No. All of the blood in this war belongs on Bush's hands. He's the one that stupidly tore open the centuries old would and infected it. He is directly responsible for every death that happens as a result. History will judge him as the inhumane butcher that he is.

[micma-2009]

The Coded Message

After numerous rounds of "We don't even know if Osama is still alive," Osama himself decided to send George W. Bush a letter in his own handwriting to let the President know he was still in the game.

Bush opened the letter and it appeared to contain a single line of coded message:

370HSSV-0773H

Bush was baffled, so he e-mailed it to Condi Rice. Condi and her aides had no clue either, so they sent it to the FBI.

No one could solve it at the FBI so it went to the CIA, then to the NSA.

With no clue as to its meaning they eventually asked Britain's MI-6 for help. Within a minute MI-6 cabled the White House with this reply "Tell the President he's holding the message upside down."

[frankly6]

Bush and Powell Plan World War III
Bush and Powell were sitting in a bar. A guy walked in and asked the barman, "Isn't that Bush and Powell?"

The barman said, "Yep, that's them."

So the guy walked over and said, "Hello. What are you guys doing?"

Bush said, "We're planning World War III."

The guy asked, "Really? What's going to happen?"

Bush said, "Well, we're going to kill 10 million Iraqis and one bicycle repairman."

The guy exclaimed, "Why are you gonna kill a bicycle repairman?!"

Bush turned to Powell and said, "See, I told you no one would worry about the 10 million Iraqis!"

[ivandrago]

Check out this link to a transcript of an SNL skit just before George W. got elected the first time. Kind of points of out George W. Bush's dreamland mentality compared to his more realist, pragmatic father.

http://snltranscripts.jt.org/00/00chunting.phtml

[tejasdemo]

Another feather in the Republican and religious right cap. Congratulations d ickheads.

[sdb101-2009]

[the neo clowns only care about oil and never have cared one bit about iraqis.Posted by usadvisor101]

Yep, its a lost cause-nothing you or anyone can or will do about it anyways. Its over for Iraq.

[antoniof123]

I hope this makes you Republicans happy. I used to consider the neo cons seperatly from the Republicans howevernow I know that they are one and the same because the true conservitive would never be seen with such a horror.

[tibu987]

Hey, is this another milestone of the march to democracy that we are trying to foist on Iraq?
For goodness sake, let us get out of Iraq and then help the Iraq's financially to restore their lives. The killing of our troops and of innocent men,women, and children has been horrendous.
Enough. Get out of Iraq and Afghanistan now.

Let your politicans know your feelings.
You can find their e-mail address at:
www.visi.com/juan/congress/

[roger_inkart]

I'm not sure how, but this all Bill Clinton's fault, it proves the surge is working and that Saddam moved all his WMDs to Syria before the start of the war.

If you doubt me: remember - I'm a Bush supporter! Therefore every absurd angle, excuse and rationale I can think becomes reality.

[hungry1968]

Breaking news! The child survival rate in Iraq plummets.

More breaking news - the adult survival rate plummets!

More breaking news - the American troops survival rate plummets!

More breaking news...

See a pattern yet?

[grazinggoat]

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED ! This is a very humanitarian mission accomplished!

[mh4cbs1]

From BBC today(the kind of news our corporate media likes to sweep under the rug):

"An attack by a US helicopter against suspected insurgents in Iraq has killed a number of children at a primary school, Iraqi security sources say"

Nice job BUSH and CHENEY! JAIL these murderous thugs who LIED us into this DISASTER for their NeoCon dream of regional dominance and control of $21 TRILLION in Iraqi Oil.

[mh4cbs1]

Notice this story didn't mention that the 1990 deaths of children were due to the severity of US-led sanctions. Banning even such items as water treatment equipment.

US does it again, as the media hypes our generosity (we actually are low on the list as % of GNP)and sweeps the US atrocities under the rug (support of friendly brutal dictators like Saddam, coups against countries that want to own their own natural resources, and of course WAR based on LIES).

[micma-2009]

Bush and Powell Plan World War III
Bush and Powell were sitting in a bar. A guy walked in and asked the barman, "Isn't that Bush and Powell?"

The barman said, "Yep, that's them."

So the guy walked over and said, "Hello. What are you guys doing?"

Bush said, "We're planning World War III."

The guy asked, "Really? What's going to happen?"

Bush said, "Well, we're going to kill 10 million Iraqis and one bicycle repairman."

The guy exclaimed, "Why are you gonna kill a bicycle repairman?!"

Bush turned to Powell and said, "See, I told you no one would worry about the 10 million Iraqis!"

[micma-2009]

Bush and Powell Plan World War III
Bush and Powell were sitting in a bar. A guy walked in and asked the barman, "Isn't that Bush and Powell?"

The barman said, "Yep, that's them."

So the guy walked over and said, "Hello. What are you guys doing?"

Bush said, "We're planning World War III."

The guy asked, "Really? What's going to happen?"

Bush said, "Well, we're going to kill 10 million Iraqis and one bicycle repairman."

The guy exclaimed, "Why are you gonna kill a bicycle repairman?!"

Bush turned to Powell and said, "See, I told you no one would worry about the 10 million Iraqis!"

[feelfree1]

What will be the final Bush Butchers' Bill?

www.ipetitions.com/petition/OutNow

[feelfree1]

What will be the final Bush Butchers' Bill, in Iraq?

www.ipetitions.com/petition/OutNow

[toldyouso21]

ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS: America's illegal war of choice created a power vacuum, thousands of orphans and aided and abetted the rush to anarchy of the various groups. This tragedy too, is the fault of America.

[johnshaft4]

Freedom and Democracy is on the march!

Too bad we are not reading of the same malady/infliction in Israel whose necon Zionist Likud party warmongers (like traitor Wolfowitz) is behind this Iraqi genocide.

[johnshaft4]

Freedom and Democracy is on the march!

Too bad we are not reading of the same malady/infliction in Israel whose necon Zionist Likud Party warmongers (like traitor Wolfowitz) is behind this Iraqi genocide.