Childhood Illnesses Priority Statement – Healthy Start in Life

The priority statement on Childhood Illnesses outlines Save the Children’s approach to tackling the biggest killers of children under-five through integrated primary and community health care.

Children under five years of age are the most vulnerable to infection and disease. Globally, infectious diseases, including pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria and sepsis, remain the leading cause of under-five deaths, along with preterm birth and intrapartum-related complications. In middle- and low-income countries, an estimated 5 million children die of preventable causes every year, over 80% of which occur in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Save the Children tackles childhood illnesses in children 0-5 years of age through integrated service delivery across development and humanitarian contexts, advocating for policy change and anticipatory action at global and national levels, and designing programs that address the multiple determinants of health, including the impacts of COVID-19, conflict, and climate change. We work alongside partners to create system-wide change to bring sustainable and resilient solutions to children, families, and their communities.