Infant, child mortality:

Lanka successful in reducing rates

Shirley Wijesinghe

Sri Lanka has been very successful in reducing its infant and child mortality rates during the last half century, an international survey highlighted.

According to survey, Sri Lanka had been able to maintain a low mortality rate over the period of 1946-2000.

The infant mortality rate fell from 141 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 1946 to a mere 13 deaths per 1,000 live births by 2000.

Sri Lanka's infant mortality rate is unusually low by the standards of most developing countries and even by the standards of countries such as Russia, Ukraine and Argentina which are considerably wealthier than Sri Lanka.

An international comparison of infant mortality rates relative to per capita national income, based on a cross-section of 120 low and medium developed countries shows that Sri Lanka has a significantly lower infant mortality rate than which would be expected on the basis of its per capita GDP.

The infant mortality rate in 1990 in Sri Lanka was 19 deaths per live births. Sri Lanka should go for a infant mortality rate of about six deaths per 1,000 live births to achieve the millennium development goals. The decline in infant mortality experienced by Sri Lanka during the past 50 years is unprecedented.

Declines from high infant mortality are driven mainly by reduction of the number of post -neonatal deaths which deaths occurring between the age of one month and twelve months through child immunization and re hydration therapy.