Poverty a threat to child health

THE HEALTH of the world's children is more at risk than it was a decade ago because of wars, persistent poverty, and the spread of Aids, according to a report published yesterday.

Although enormous strides have been made against polio, the increasing vulnerability of children is impeding the reduction of many childhood illnesses, the Unicef report said.

The world's population is expected to reach six billion by 2000. The six-billionth baby has only a one in 10 chance of being born into prosperity.

"Ongoing civil conflicts in places like Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo are threatening the campaign against polio just as we approach the finish line," said Carol Bellamy, the executive director of Unicef.

The number of worldwide polio cases has dropped by 86 per cent, from 35,000 to 5,000 since the World Health Organisation launched immunisation campaigns in 1988.

In the report, The Progress of Nations 1999, Unicef predicts that the eradication of polio will be completed within three years. However, HIV and Aids have spread rapidly, infecting 16,000 people daily and creating an orphan population of 10 million children. A 50-year social programme will be need to repair the damage caused by the devastation of a whole age group, the report says.

The research also showed there was an increase in HIV infection amongst adolescents in Eastern Europe.