Microsoft Word - AMICS-29Jan2013 - Childinfo.org

The child mortality findings from AMICS indicate that the reduction of the IMR and U5MR
would be 11% and 12% annually, respectively. Table 4.3 shows the speed of reduction between
1990 and 2010 in U5MR in the South Asian region overall as well as some specific countries.
Countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan and India are stabilized in terms of these indicators, and have
seen a steady increase in the social and economic status of their populations. However, their
speed of reduction in U5MR is less than 6% per year over the past two decades. Afghanistan
experienced violent conflict during the last three decades, a near absence of social services in
many areas, and a rapidly deteriorating human security situation in the last few years of the
post-Taliban period. Its child immunization coverage is low, and child malnutrition levels are
high.
Table 4.3: Reduction in U5MR and IMR in South Asia
U5MR
1990 2010
Average annual rate
of reduction
(percent)
South Asia 120 67 2.9
Bangladesh 143 48 5.5
Bhutan 139 56 4.5
India 115 63 3.0
Source: Levels and Trends in Child Mortality, Report 2011,
UN Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation
Considering the above noted regional comparisons and characteristics of the situation in
Afghanistan, it can be concluded that the U5MR and IMR are under-estimated in the AMICS.
The estimation of child mortality is complex, especially in a country such as Afghanistan. The
mortality data resulting from any single survey cannot be reflected as a true value, unless a
series of data from different surveys are found to be comparable, and thus validated. As
UNICEF has previously noted:
Generating accurate estimates of child mortality poses a considerable challenge because of the
limited available of high-quality data for many developing countries. Complete vital registration
systems are the preferred source of data on child mortality because they collect information as
events occur and they cover the entire population. However, many developing countries lack
fully functioning vital registration systems that accurately record all births and deaths. 10
For these reasons, users are advised to interpret the child mortality data from the AMICS with
caution.
Progress on Child Mortality in Afghanistan
To put child mortality in Afghanistan in historical perspective, in 1970 UNICEF reported
Afghanistan s U5MR at 314. In 1990, the U5MR was estimated at 209 by UNICEF 11 (and the IMR
10
See Child Mortality Methodology, www.childInfo.org.
11 Estimates Developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, Levels and Trends in Child
Mortality: Report 2011.
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