Decreasing the Burden of Childhood Disease - Western Cape ...

Millennium Development Goals to reduce U5MR by two thirds from the
1990 figure of 60 per 1000 live births by 2015.
Our approach has been to analyse the prevalence and impact of each of
the main childhood diseases, the immediate causes of each disease,
examine the underlying causes, and then identify and analyse the key
basic determinants of disease and death, particularly those that are
common to the above causes. In this analysis we use the conceptual
framework for undernutrition (shown below) as a template to develop
similar frameworks for the other dominant childhood illnesses. The
frameworks for diarrhoea and ARI are very similar to that for
undernutrition.
Next, we look at solutions. We first consider interventions which have
been shown to be efficacious in improving child survival and identify the
key factors that are common to large scale successful interventions.
Finally we identify actual and potential interventions and programmes in
the Western Cape, both within and outside the health sector, that could
provide the basis for policies and programmes likely to impact maximally
on child survival and health in this province and beyond.
Child mortality in the Western Cape
The Western Cape has the lowest U-5MR in South Africa at 46 per 1 000
live births.(Figure ). This compares with a national U5MR of 95. v
Figure 4: U-5MR by province
8