A new report has revealed the leading causes of death among children and teenagers across the world.
Published in Journal
NAMA, the report said that there were 7.7 million deaths among children and young adults in 2013.
The majority – 6.3 million – of these deaths were children under the age of five. Just under half a million were kids aged between five and nine with 970,000 aged between 10 and 19.
According to reports, the leading cause of death worldwide among children aged five and under was lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis.
The other four causes of death in this age group were preterm birth complications; neonatal encephalopathy following birth trauma and asphyxia; malaria; and diarrheal diseases.
For the middle group, the main cause was diarrheal diseases while road injuries was the leading cause of deaths in adolescents.
The authors of the report noted that there were stark differences between the leading causes of death among those in developed countries and those in developing countries.
Apparently half of the diarrheal deaths among children and young adults occurred in five countries (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria and Pakistan).
For further information on child health and safety, visit the HSE website here. 
