Africa Knowledge Management Portal
Informing health decisions and actions
Description
The fourth Millennium Development Goal (MDG) �� to reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate �� is ambitious, but achievable. Currently, more than 10 million children under five die each year, four million of them in the first month. It is estimated that around two-thirds of these child deaths could be prevented by increasing coverage of a handful of existing, relatively low-tech and inexpensive interventions. Promoting breastfeeding is key among these interventions. MDG 7 �� to have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS �� is also closely linked to this issue. Governments and donors must greatly increase their commitment and resources for implementation of the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding and the United Nations (UN) HIV and Infant Feeding Framework for Priority Action in order to effectively prevent postnatal HIV infections, improve HIV-free survival and achieve the relevant global goals.