COVID-19 to increase child mortality rate in developing countries: World Bank

The coronavirus infection will likely raise the child mortality rate in developing countries by slightly less than half of the current rate, World Bank has warned. Speaking at a virtual discussion on October 5, the World Bank President David Malpass asserted that a “persistent’ rise in mortality rate was likely following a reduction in medical access and food supplies. His remarks come ahead of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings which are scheduled for next week.

"Our early estimates suggest a potential increase of up to 45 per cent in child mortality because of health service shortfalls and reduction in access to food," Malpass was quoted as saying by ANI.

Over 1.6 billion children quit school

Though he asserted that the organisation was taking every possible measure to bolster health and education in poorer countries, he added that the majority of them were still facing problems. “Since the outbreak, more than 1.6 billion children in developing countries have been out of school because of COVID-19, implying a potential loss of as much as $10 trillion in lifetime earning for these students," he added.

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Separately, the global lender also indicated that the development in East Asia and the Pacific nations, including China, will witness a slump in growth and development at the lowest rate since 1967. Further, the World Bank Group’s 2020 Human Capital Index released this month that analyzed progress data across 174 countries and depicted sluggish progress in building human capital units.

Warning about the long-term threats to growth and rise in poverty, the World banks’ report recommended the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) governments to initiate fiscal and trade reforms and work on the capacity for “smart containment” rather than economic shutdowns. World Bank warned that the “COVID-19 shock” would not only trigger a spike in poverty but will create a class of "new poor”. The growth in the region in 2020, it warned, will only be 0.9 per cent in 2020, the lowest rate since 1967. 

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Read: Growth In East Asia And Pacific At Lowest Rate Since 1967 Amid COVID-19: World Bank

(With inputs from agencies)

Image credits: investopedia.com