This paper reviews the existing data, mainly Chinese publications, on
childhood diseases in order to assess the health status and morbidity patterns
of Chinese children.
China's infant mortality rate is among the very lowest in the
developing world. The number of post-neonatal deaths as a proportion of total
infant death has decreased to a level comparable to that of a developed
country. The epidemiologic pattern of vaccine preventable diseases indicates
that immunization activities have had a significant impact on the occurrence
of these diseases. The overall prevalence of infectious diseases is
decreasing and, relatively, the frequency of congenital defects is increasing
as a major cause of childhood mortality. However, fecal-borne diseases such
as dysentery, hepatitis, and ascariasis are still the predominant causes of
morbidity. A secular improvement in the nutritional status of Chinese
children is noted, but mild to moderate malnutrition still persists.
This review sets out a series of issues: the impact of the one-child
family policy, which is creating different demands on the maternal and child
health care service network; technological shortcomings in immunization
activities, which are affecting coverage; the lack of better technical
training, which is influencing health reporting and surveillance systems; and
the lack of corrective programs to further decrease malnutrition.