Child mortality rate is the highest in low-income countries, such as countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (UNICEF 2012). In 2011, 6.9 million children under five died (UN 2012), down from 7.6 million in 2010, 8.1 million in 2009, and 12.4 million in 1990 (UNICEF 2011). About half of child deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa. Reduction of child mortality is the fourth United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals: the goal is to reduce under-five mortality by twothirds between 1900 and 2015. Of the estimated 130 million infants born each year worldwide, 4 million die in the first 28 days of life, three-quarters of this deaths occur in the first week, and more than one-quarter occur in the first 24 hours (Jehan, 2008). Neonatal deaths account for 40% of deaths under the age of 5 years worldwide and therefore, efforts to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 of reducing childhood mortality by two-thirds by 2015 are focused on reducing neonatal deaths in high-mortality countries. (Jehan, 2008)
