Malawi 2015-16

CHILD HEALTH 10
Key Findings
• Vaccination: Seventy-six percent of children age 12-23
months had received all basic vaccinations at the time of
the survey, and 70% received the basic vaccinations by
age 12 months.
• Symptoms of acute respiratory infection (ARI): Five
percent of children under age 5 had symptoms of an ARI
in the 2 weeks before the survey. Advice or treatment
was sought for 78% of these children; advice or treatment
was sought for 51% on the same or next day.
• Fever: Twenty-nine percent of children under age 5 had
a fever in the 2 weeks before the survey, and 67% of
these children were taken for advice or treatment. For
46% of children, treatment was sought on the same or
next day. Twenty-four percent children with fever took
antibiotics.
• Diarrhoea: Twenty-two percent of children under age 5
had diarrhoea in the 2 weeks before the survey, and
advice or treatment was sought for 66%. Seventy-eight
percent of children with diarrhoea received oral
rehydration therapy (ORT). Thirteen percent of the
children with diarrhoea received no treatment.
I
nformation on child health and survival can help policy makers and programme managers assess the
efficacy of current strategies, formulate appropriate interventions to prevent deaths from childhood
illnesses, and improve the health of children in Malawi.
This chapter presents information on birth weight and vaccination status for young children. The chapter
also looks at the prevalence of, and treatment practices for, three common childhood illnesses: acute
respiratory infection (ARI), fever, and diarrhoea. Because appropriate sanitary practices can help prevent
and reduce the severity of diarrhoeal disease, information is also provided on the disposal of children’s
faecal matter.
10.1 BIRTH WEIGHT
Low birth weight
Percentage of births with a reported birth weight