tion programmes, many chronic childhood diseases have
been eradicated and/or prevented.
However, advances in medical science have a down-
side. The number of children with chronic diseases
caused by genetic or environmental factors or a combi-
nation of both, or prenatal exposure to toxins such as
cigarette smoke and alcohol surviving into adult life with
health complications and disabilities has risen. This plac-
es great emotional and financial strain on families obliged
to care for chronically ill children and adolescents.
In this essay I detail some of the chronic illnesses af-NURTURING 21ST CENTURY LEARNERSHE ALTH &
NUTRITION
Preventing chronic diseases in
CHILDREN
In this essay I detail some of the chronic illnesses afflicting 21st century children
and advise how parents can help to alleviate their pain and sufferingI
n 1990, the under-five infant mortality rate in India
was 126 per 1,000 live births. Almost three decades
later in 2018, it has reduced to 39 deaths per 1,000,
according to a report of the United Nations Inter-Agency
Group for Child Mortality Estimation.
Thanks to advances in medical technology and im-
proved healthcare facilities, children around the world
are living beyond their first and more birthdays as against
millions of children dying of curable illnesses such as
bronchitis, chickenpox, diarrhoea, malaria etc, a few de-
cades ago. With governments launching mass immuniza-
DR. GITA MATHAI