UNICEF and WHO warn that 51,000 more children may die in the Middle East and North Africa

UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) have warned that an additional 51,000 children under five out of a possible 133,000 may die from the "disruption" to primary health care in the Middle East and North Africa caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In a joint statement, the regional directors of the two UN agencies, Ted Chaiban and Ahmed al Mandhari, warned on Monday that "an additional 51,000 children under the age of five might die in the region by the end of 2020 if the current disruption of essential health and nutrition services is protracted and malnutrition among children increases". 

Child mortality in some MENA countries could increase by "nearly 40 percent" compared to pre-pandemic figures, they said. If the prediction holds true, it would represent a "regression" in child survival from the past 20 years, the agency directors said.

The UN estimates that, with this increase in child mortality, the total figure could reach 184,000 deaths of children under five by the end of this year. Although it says that "there are hardly any cases of COVID-19 in children in the region, it is clear that the pandemic is affecting them first hand".

“The COVID-19 pandemic is putting health systems under unprecedented stress in the region. Primary health care services have either decreased or been interrupted in several countries," said Chaiban and Al Mandhari.  

Both UNICEF and WHO attributed this increase in child mortality to health workers being "overwhelmed" by the pandemic and, in addition, movement restrictions and economic barriers preventing some communities from accessing health care. The UN agencies also committed to the "full and safe resumption" of vaccination campaigns and nutrition services, in compliance with prevention measures, as well as facilitating access to primary health care services for every child.  

According to a UN-sponsored study by Johns Hopkins University covering ten Arab countries: Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Syria, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen, the population under five years of age is 41 million in these countries. Under-five mortality is 32 out of every 1,000, according to 2018 data cited in the same study.