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And in a medical update on Tuesday, UN health agency WHO warned that countries across Europe and Central Asia have a major problem with “stagnating” healthcare systems.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost 76,000 children in the region die before their fifth birthday every year.
In addition, non-communicable diseases claim the lives one in six people before they’re 70.
Wide regional variations
WHO’s latest European Health Report showed that under-five mortality ranged from 1.5 to 40.4 deaths per 1,000 live births across 53 countries in the region.
The top causes of death include pre-term birth complications, birth asphyxia and congenital heart anomalies.
Despite much progress in tackling non-communicable diseases across Europe and Central Asia, conditions such as heart and lung disease, stroke and diabetes remain by far the biggest killers.
At least 10 countries have achieved a 25 per cent reduction in premature mortality from these four non-communicable diseases.
Nonetheless, one in six people still die before they reach their 70th birthday from cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease, WHO said.
