Survey Finds Americans Unaware of Child Death Causes

CONTACT:

Elizabeth Creel, US Coalition for Child Survival, 703.312.6560

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 – A majority of Americans think AIDS and malaria are the top killers of children worldwide, but the reality is much more prosaic, according to a new survey released today.

The leading causes of child deaths in developing countries, taking ten million lives per year, are simple dehydration from diarrhea, pneumonia and birth complications such as infections, according to World Health Organization studies. But the survey by the U.S. Coalition for Child Survival found that 60 percent of Americans think malaria and HIV/AIDS infections levy a worse toll.

“In the world’s poorest countries, children are still dying from causes that we in America rarely face,” said David Oot, associate vice president for health of Save the Children, one of the coalition’s dozen member organizations. “Two-thirds of these deaths could be prevented with basic low-cost services and practices, such as a solution of salts, sugar and water to treat diarrhea; vaccinations; antibiotics to treat pneumonia; and breastfeeding.”

The coalition poll also found that nearly 95 percent of Americans believe the issue of child survival is an important problem, and 93 percent said it should be a top US international aid priority. Eight in ten Americans supported the U.S. Commitment to Global Child Survival Act of 2007, even after they were told it would cost US$7 per person per year. The act would expand US aid for vaccines and other health interventions by US$4.3 billion over five years and require a new government strategy and reporting.

“For less than the cost of a movie ticket, we can save the lives of young children and help restore America’s image overseas,” said Andrew Barrer, executive director of the U.S. Coalition for Child Survival. “This makes it easy to support the Global Child Survival Act.”

Click here to read the full survey.

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