Every year, 6.3 million children under age five die from diseases that are preventable and treatable. That’s 17,000 children a day. In the world’s more remote regions, families can’t access lifesaving treatment in timely fashion. Clinics are often hours or even days away on foot.Children swept up in violent conflict are even more vulnerable to disease, many forced into crowded camps without clean water or enough toilets,
conditions that spread disease. During emergencies, medical supplies run low and health systems shut down.The International Rescue Committee helps ensure children living in crisis areas get the treatment they need to lead healthy lives.
In the last six years alone, IRC-trained volunteers have provided over 4 million treatments to sick children, and countless lives have been saved with basic hygiene and proper sanitation. Here’s a look at the three most devastating diseases among children under the age of five:
This respiratory infection is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia where families have limited access to health clinics and medicines. Symptoms such as fever, headaches and vomiting are often mistaken for less serious illnesses.
