Child health Child healthProtecting and improving the health of children is of fundamental importance Over the past several decades, we have seen dramatic progress in improving the health and reducing the mortality rate of young children Among other encouraging statistics, the number of children dying before the age of 5 was halved from 2000 to 2017, and more mothers and children are surviving today than
World Patient Safety Day 2025 World Patient Safety Day 17 September 2025 Every child has the right to safe, quality health care — from the very beginning Yet, newborns and young children face higher risks due to their rapid development, evolving health needs and different disease patterns They rely on adults to speak up and make decisions for them
Child growth - World Health Organization (WHO) Child malnutrition is a major public health issue worldwide An estimated 144 million children under age 5 are stunted, 47 million are wasted and 38 3 million have overweight or obesity Around 45% of deaths among children under 5 years of age are linked to undernutrition Measuring the growth of infants and children is an important part of child health surveillance Inadequate infant growth
Child maltreatment - World Health Organization (WHO) Overview Child maltreatment is the abuse and neglect that occurs to children under 18 years of age It includes all types of physical and or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, negligence and commercial or other exploitation, which results in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust
Children and young people’s mental health: the case for action WHO advocates for a comprehensive response to the mental health needs of children and young people, with a focus on strengthening policies and legislation; promoting enabling environments (in homes, schools, communities, workplaces and digital spaces) and building preventive and care services
Child growth standards - World Health Organization (WHO) The WHO Child Growth StandardsThis web site presents the WHO Child Growth Standards These standards were developed using data collected in the WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study The site presents documentation on how the physical growth curves and motor milestone windows of achievement were developed as well as application tools to support implementation of the standards
THE GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR WOMEN’S, CHILDREN’S AND ADOLESCENTS’ HEALTH . . . I launched the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health in September 2010 because I believed the global community could and should do more to save the lives and improve the well-being of women and children I have been greatly encouraged by the response, including the powerful multi-stakeholder Every Woman Every Child movement A surge of new commitments and advocacy has helped to
Child mortality (under 5 years) - World Health Organization (WHO) Child SurvivalKey facts In 2020 an estimated 5 million children under the age of 5 years died, mostly from preventable and treatable causes Approximately half of those deaths, 2 4 million, occurred among newborns (in the first 28 days of life) While the global under-5 mortality rate (U5MR) fell to 37 deaths per 1000 live births in 2020, children in sub-Saharan continued to have the highest
Weight-for-age - World Health Organization (WHO) The WHO provides expanded tables for constructing national health cards based on weight-for-age standards, aiding in child growth monitoring and assessment