8 African kids 'die every minute'
2007-08-21 15:31
Maputo - Eight children under the age of five die every minute in Africa from diseases for which vaccines are available, according to figures revealed by the United Nations.
A statement released at a meeting between representatives of Portuguese-speaking governments in Africa, the UN's World Health Organisation (WHO) and children's fund, Unicef, said the children mainly died as a result of polio, tetanus and measles.
The meeting, being held until August 31 in the Mozambican capital, aimed at increasing child vaccination in the African continent.
About 155 out of every 1 000 children born in Africa die before the age of five, according to the UN. The WHO and Unicef aimed to halve the rate by 2015.