ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Thursday, November 14, 1996            TAG: 9611140003
SECTION: EDITORIAL                PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO 

HUNGRY FOR MORE PROGRESS

ALMOST A third of children under 5 in developing countries remain malnourished.

Women's deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth continue unabated.

Universal sanitation is no closer to reality because expanded systems fail to keep up with population growth.

Despite this grim list, the well-being of the world's children actually has improved significantly since 1990. Six years ago, representatives of 159 countries gathered at the United Nations for a World Summit for Children and pledged that by the year 2000, their countries would lower the death rates of children and ensure that every child has the opportunity to go to school, drink clean water and have proper sanitation.

A little more than halfway to the target date, much remains to be done. But U.N. Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali reports that three in five of the participating countries are on their way toward meeting the goal of improved child survival.

The world should celebrate the dramatic progress that has been made in immunizations, eradicating diseases, providing iodized salt to people who were suffering such effects as mental retardation because of iodine deficiency, and successfully treating diarrheal dehydration. The last effort alone saves 1 million children's lives each year.

Such overall successes, unfortunately, are not spread evenly throughout the world. Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, lags far behind other regions in immunizations and in improving the survival rate of children under 5.

And even the most hopeful gains can be reversed quickly. Rehydration techniques that have saved many young lives will not continue to be used without continued resources to do so. Reduced incidence of diarrhea in the first place - with safe drinking water, sanitation and increased breast-feeding - is urgently needed.

The gains made thus far by setting and pursuing measurable goals should inspire nations, organizations, communities and individuals with the knowledge they can save many more children. Therefore, they must.

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