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About Dr Zahid Masood

Polio Cases Drop by 99% from 1988 to 2000
The global campaign to eradicate polio by the year 2000 has neared its goal, with a 99% decrease in the estimated number of cases. National Immunization Days and " days of tranquility ", when areas of conflict observe a truce to allow immunization teams to work, have facilitated the vaccination of hundreds of millions of children worldwide. Still, not until all are immunized and all countries are declared polio-free for three consecutive years can it be said that the disease has been fully conquered.

   
Source: WHO


Percent of Primary School Children Enrolled in or Attending School, 1990s
Primary education provides the fundamental skills, such as literacy and numeracy, that are essential for everyday life. Girls, who once lagged far behind boys in school attendance, have now reached parity or near parity in many of the world's countries, thus providing them with some of the tools needed to make decisions about their own lives.

Source: UNICEF, UNESCO


Percent of Children Living Below Poverty, Mid-1990s
The estimation of poverty is fundamental to the health and welfare of youth. Today, significant problems remain. Poverty (here defined as half the median national income) has increased in many countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union and, even in industrialized countries, too many youth live below poverty.

Source: Luxembourg Income Study, OECD, UNICEF

Under Age Five Mortality Rate, World Regions, 1990 and 2000
Infant and child mortality are key indicators of the health of children, with the level of the death rate under five (U5MR) often a result of health care delivery from early pregnancy to the postnatal period. While many regions did make progress on lowering under-five mortality, the regions with the lowest rates showed the greatest progress.

Source: UNICEF


Percent of Infants Less than Four Months of Age Exclusively Breastfed 1995-2000
The importance of breast feeding very young children cannot be over-emphasized as it provides vital nutrients and protects against infection. No other foods or liquids are required during the first six months of a baby's life and indeed, other forms of feeding are likely to rob the child of proper nutrition and resistance to disease. Still, today, only about half or less of infants are exclusively breasted in developing regions.

Source: UNICEF

Percent of 15-Year-olds Who Report Smoking Daily 1997/1998
As the leading cause of lung cancer across the world, smoking is a serious public health concern. Even more worrisome are the increasing numbers of teenage smokers in the industrialized countries of Europe and North America. Since 1994, the overall percentage of 15-year-olds who smoke daily has risen from 12 to 16 percent, with the sharpest increases among girls.

Source: World Health Organization

Percent Population Using an Improved Method of Sanitary Disposal 1990 and 2000
A key factor in disease prevention, alomg with a safe water supply, is an effective means of sanitary disposal. These factors have been shown to greatly reduce child deaths, illnesses and malnutrition. The incidence of diarrhea can be reduced by 22 percent and deaths due to diarrhea by 65%. Only in Asia were there dramatic gains since 1990, but, in Asia the level remained quite low.

Source: World Health Organization, UNICEF