Death rate of children down

Kenya’s infant mortality rate has dropped in the last five years. This an indication that the country has made moderate gains in its battle to reduce death rates among new-borns and children under five years.

According to the just-released 2008 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey report, the infant mortality rate decreased from 77 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2003 to 52 deaths in 2008/2009.

The same report says that the under-five mortality rate decreased from 115 deaths per 1,000 live births to 74 deaths in 2008/2009.

Maternal care

There was also a significant improvement in child vaccination, with about 77 per cent of children aged between 12 and 23 months fully vaccinated. Only three per cent of children in that age group have not received any vaccine.

According to Dr James Gesami, the assistant minister for Public Health and Sanitation, the maternal care indicators improved slightly from 88 per cent of mothers receiving ante-natal care in 2003 to 92 per cent in 2008/2009.

“Childhood mortality rates are a basic indicator of a country’s socio-economic level and quality of life, and the Kenya Service Provision Assessment (KSPA) will generate data to help plan and improve health services,” said Dr Gesami. He was speaking during the launch of the KSPA for 2010 in Nakuru on Wednesday.