AI Summary

An estimated 4.9 million children died before age five in 2024, including 2.3 million newborns, according to new WHO estimates. Most of these deaths are preventable with proven, low‑cost interventions and quality health care. The report, Levels & Trends in Child Mortality, notes that under‑five deaths have fallen by more than half since 2000, but the pace of reduction has slowed by over 60 percent since 2015. For the first time, the report estimates that more than 100 000 children aged 1‑59 months—about 5 percent—died directly from severe acute malnutrition in 2024, with a higher toll when indirect effects are considered.

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