One million Nigerians, under 24, died over healthcare, socioeconomic problems 2020 – Report

Punch

About one million Nigerians under the age of 24 died in 2020 due to healthcare challenges in the country, estimates developed by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation have shown.

This was contained in a new 2021 report titled, ‘Levels & Trends in Child Mortality: Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation.’

The UN IGME produces estimates of child and young adolescent mortality annually with data from the United Nations Children’s Fund, World Bank Group, World Health Organization, and the United Nations Population Division.

The estimates show that in 2020, an average of 844,000 children under the age of five died; 120,000 children between the ages of five and 14 died; and 75,000 persons between the ages of 15 and 24 died.

The report further disclosed that these deaths were likely consequences of strained and under-resourced health systems, restrictions in care-seeking and preventive measures, and socioeconomic challenges.

The report read in part, “These deaths could stem from the repercussions of strained and under-resourced health systems, limitations on care-seeking and preventative measures like vaccination and nutrition supplements, or socioeconomic strains on households resulting from job losses, economic contractions or even deaths of parents due to COVID-19.”

The report further stated that geographic and…