Infant Protection Day is annually observed across the globe on 7th November to create awareness about the efforts and measures taken to save infant lives and provide required protection and care during the early stages of life.
Aim:Â
- To provide good health and stronger immunity to every child and highlight the importance of developing better immune support.
- The day also provides a platform to discuss the services that the government should provide to foster proper healthcare systems.
Background:
i.In 1990, around 5 million infants died due to a lack of awareness about infant protection and care. Following this several countries decided to take necessary measures to reduce infant mortality.
ii.Europe established infant protection day, the first-ever campaign to create awareness among the people about childcare services. As a result of the awareness campaign, the Infant mortality Rate(IMR) reduced from 100 to 10 deaths per 1000 births.
Infant Mortality Rate(IMR):
i.The Infant Mortality Rate(IMR) is a critical indicator of a society’s general health and it also offers information on maternal and child health.
ii.The IMR is referred to the number of infant deaths per 1000 live births.
Infant Mortality in India:
i.Compared to other nations, infant mortality due to poor healthcare systems and facilities is higher in India.
ii.The current infant mortality rate for India in 2022 is 27.695 deaths per 1000 live births, a 3.74% decline from 2021. The infant mortality rate for India in 2021 was 28.771 deaths per 1000 live births
iii.According to the Child Mortality report by the United Nations(UN), it was noted that around 7.2 lakh infant deaths were observed in India.
