Goal 4. Bangladesh

Goal 4: 
Bangladesh
Anne Castronovo, Emma Kast, Claire McQuillen and Matt Miller

Senior, Environmental Studies major with a concentration in Ethics and Sustainability and a Gender Studies minor. Interested in social justice issues specifically environmentalism, food systems, and public health. 

                                  

 Goal Four, reduce child mortality has seen substantial advancement in Bangladesh. The three indicators for this goal are to reduce by two-thirds the under-five morality rate, the infant mortality rate, and the proportion of one year old children immunized against measles. The under-five mortality rate was 149 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 then fell to 54 deaths per live births in 2005, creating the goal to be achieved (Paths to 2015, 49).  There is still room for improvement given the level at where the country started. The infant mortality rate has also seen significant progress. In 1990 there were 103 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, but by 2008 there were    only 43 infant deaths per 1,000 live births (Paths to 2015, 49). This does not represent a two-thirds decrease in infant mortality as of 2008, but if the trend continues Bangladesh should reach this indicator as well.  It is important to consider exactly which groups of people within in the country are reflected in these statistics. In many cases around the world the reductions in child mortality are most prominent in urban areas while rural populations do not see such significant improvements. It first seemed that Bangladesh was avoiding this problem, as the ratio between the urban and rural rates fell from 1.40 in 1996 to 1.07 2004. However the rate then rose again to 1.22 in 2007, indicating the there is still a threat for disparity for child mortality between rural and urban areas (Achieving the Millennium Development Goals in an Era of Global Uncertainty, 21).

The final indicator for Goal Four is focused on the proportion of children immunized against measles. As of 2008, 89 percent of one-year-old children were immunized against measles (UNICEF). This statistic is largely the result of several initiatives where the government sent health workers out across the country to immunize children. Most recently in 2010 more than 50,000 health professionals, 600,000 volunteers and several NGOs are taking part in offering 120,000 vaccinations sites across the country (Bangladesh: 20 million children to be vaccinated against measles, 1). These initiatives must continue, if all children are to be protected.

Overall Bangladesh has seen success in reducing child mortality. The country is on track to achieve all of the indicators, but it is important to note that the bar is set low. The MDGs only require a reduction by two thirds for the under-five and infant mortality rate. Bangladesh started with such high rates that even if the goal is achieved there will still be many children dying, the efforts must continue beyond the basic indicators. The significant decrease in infant mortality seen in Bangladesh is described as, “…one of the highest improvement rates among low-income countries,” (Belt 2011).  



(Photo Courtesy of Matt Miller, Bangladesh 2010)