Child Health

Globally, pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria account for nearly one third of all deaths in children under the age of five. Well-established, low-cost interventions to prevent and treat these and other infectious diseases exist, but they are not reaching the children that need them. In low-income countries, just one in three children with suspected pneumonia receive appropriate antibiotic treatment, and just two in every five children with diarrhoea receive appropriate care. Children living in poor households or in hard to reach areas suffer a disproportionate share of this burden. The delivery of a targeted package of preventive and curative interventions such as the provision of antibiotics, oral rehydration therapy, and antimalarial medication could prevent nearly two-thirds of deaths due to these three diseases globally. Save the Children's child health programs focus on empowering front line health workers to reach the hardest to reach. We work with governments, civil society and communities to promote healthy behaviors, deliver lifesaving vaccinations, and prevent and treat the three major childhood killers: pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria. Save the Children’s integrated community case management (ICCM) programs train and equip community health workers to diagnose and treat these common childhood illnesses, and refer severe cases to facility-based providers. We also improve immunization service delivery by supporting outreach services, increasing demand for immunization by mobilizing communities, training health workers and supplying essential cold chain equipment.