http://unicef.org/infobycountry/iraq_statistics.html

Under-5 mortality rate, 1990 = 50

Under-5 mortality rate, 2005 = 125

Annual no. of under-5 deaths (thousands), 2005 = 122

The death rate for children under 5 went up by 150% in 15 years. That's the worst percentage increase of any country on earth, including some really godforsaken hell holes. And given the difficulty of collecting data and the dishonesty of the Iraqi health ministry, the figure of 122,000 deaths of children under 5 in 2005 may be lower than the actual number that year. And 2005 was heavenly in Iraq, compared to now:
http://unicef.org/infobycountry/media_39394.html

UNICEF issues urgent humanitarian call for Iraqi children

GENEVA, April 18 2007 - Citing the consequences of rising security risks to Iraqi children and families, UNICEF asked Wednesday to step up support to the country’s most vulnerable, who are increasingly in danger of malnutrition and disease.

“The humanitarian crisis is nothing short of urgent,” said Daniel Toole UNICEF’s Director of Emergency Programmes, adding that it is the responsibility of the international community to support Iraq and its neighbors to create immediate relief for Iraqi children and their families.

“The humanitarian situation has deteriorated for all Iraqi children – both inside Iraq and in neighboring countries hosting refugees. In the last year alone conditions have eroded significantly and today nearly two million people have fled their homes inside Iraq and are thus internally displaced,” Toole told donor governments gathered at a UNHCR conference in Geneva dedicated to the humanitarian needs of Iraqi refugees and displaced people. Another two million – half of them children – are seeking refuge in a handful of neighboring countries.

While conditions for children were considered fragile but stable one year ago, now escalating violence prevents many from attending school. Access to safe water and other basic social services continues to decline due to insecurity, population movement, the loss of skilled workers and the weakening of vital infrastructure. Combined, these factors have created an increasing problem of child malnutrition. Furthermore, the risk of major disease outbreaks grows daily. Immunization rates are dropping as a result of the decline in security. Access to safe water is reaching a crisis point and diarrhoea outbreaks in the summer months are a real danger.

To escape the deteriorating situation in Iraq, hundreds of thousands of families have fled to neighboring Syria and Jordan, where the increased demand on local health and education services is creating a strain on these countries.

UNICEF and its local partners continue to operate in Iraq, providing safe water and health and nutrition services, in spite of daily security risks to staff. And, to prepare for the coming months, UNICEF allocated $2 million dollars of its internal emergency reserve for Iraq and an additional $700,000 for refugees in Syria.

Yet, without increased support of the Iraqi government and the international community, the demand for existing humanitarian efforts will far outweigh the supply. UNICEF requires $20 million for the most urgent humanitarian aid for Iraq of which only 11 per cent has been received to date.

“The time for increased humanitarian action is now,” said Toole, adding that security must be restored if humanitarian efforts are to bear fruit. “We cannot ensure widespread health services if women are afraid to take their children to clinics; we cannot hope for full school enrolment and participation if families are afraid to send their children to school; and we cannot hope for improved health and nutrition if civilians risk their lives simply shopping for groceries.”

- - UNICEF

In the United States, in 2005, with a population over 10 times that of Iraq, there were about 29,000 deaths of children under 5, mostly among infants under 1 year old.

In Iraq, in 2005, the reported number of deaths of children under 5 was 122,000.

There are some things that Iraqi mothers would like to get from America, for their children.

More than anything else, what they'd like to have is our death rates.

http://www.savethechildren.org/newsroom/2007/best-worst-countries-2ba-mother.html

A Mothers Day Report Card: The Best And Worst Countries to Be a Mother

. . . United States ranks 26th, tied with Hungary . . .

Westport, Conn. (Tuesday, May 8, 2007) — Save the Children, a U.S.-based independent global humanitarian organization, today released its eighth annual Mothers’ Index that ranks the best — and worst — places to be a mother and a child and compares the well-being of mothers and children in 140 countries, more than in any previous year.

. . . Zeroing in on the children’s well-being portion of the Mothers’ Index, Italy finishes first and Afghanistan ties with Niger for last.

While nearly every Italian child — girls and boys alike — enjoys good health and education, children in Afghanistan face a 1 in 4 risk of dying before age 5 . . .

- - Save The Children

http://bergerdevineyaeger.com/planning/usembassy.html#