The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for action to address high rates of neonatal, infants and under-five mortality in the North East geo-political zone.

UNICEF’s call followed the release of the 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), which showed that over 50 per cent of pregnant women in Gombe, Bauchi and Adamawa states still deliver at home.

Speaking at a one-day Media Dialogue on ending child mortality in the three states, Health Officer of the Bauchi Field Office of UNICEF, Mr Oluseyi Olosunde, said the NDHS report revealed that five out of 10 women in Gombe, equivalent to 51.5 per cent, still give birth at home.

He added that in Bauchi State 68.9 per cent of pregnant women do not deliver at a health facility, while in Taraba State, over 67 per cent give birth at home.

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He said the NDHS data released in October, indicated that the children’s death was due to lack of immunisation and other essential healthcare services needed by neonatal, infant and under-five children.

Mr Olosunde added that the statistics indicated that post-natal care has not reached 55.1 per cent of newborns in Gombe, 76.1 per cent in Bauchi, and 67 per cent in Taraba, adding that three out of 10 newborn children have not received routine immunisation in the three states.

UNICEF’s Communication officer, Mr Opeyemi Olagunju, said the media dialogue was aimed at raising awareness and spurring action to address critical issues affecting children’s health in Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba states.

He said the goal was to ignite a meaningful conversation about child mortality in the three states, by raising awareness of the root causes of child mortality, its socio-economic and health impacts, and the urgent need for collective action from critical stakeholders.

 Mr Olagunju lamented that child mortality is still a significant public health challenge in Nigeria, with approximately 120,000 under-fives dying each year, adding that most of the deaths were preventable.

The communication officer added that UNICEF hopes that through the dialogue initiative, awareness would translate into decisive action and policy improvements to reduce child mortality and secure a healthier future for the region’s youngest generation.