In 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that global child death rates had decreased, with an estimated 4.9 million children under five dying worldwide. Of these deaths, 2.8 million were in sub-Saharan Africa, where the number has hardly changed over the last decade. A third of these deaths happen during the first month of life (neonatal period). Beyond the neonatal period, pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria and HIV are the main causes of death in infants and young children, all of which are largely preventable or treatable.
Source: Information from the World Health Organization May 2026
Imperial's researchers are passionate about improving child health across Africa. Read more about our initiatives below.
Partnership for Child Development
Partnership For Child Development (PCD), formed in 1992, works to improve the education, health and nutrition of school-age children in low- and middle-income countries. PCD works across multiple sectors to develop effective, large-scale sustainable ways to improve school health and nutrition (SHN) programmes, which benefit millions of children around the world.
To achieve this, PCD partners with governments, agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and academic bodies to improve SHN programmes. PCD supports the development of national SHN programmes by building strong evidence through high quality research.
Thanks to these partnerships, PCD provides governments and their development partners with expert assistance that is backed by academic excellence, technical expertise and high-level networks. PCD shares the latest SHN research and best practice through its website and is a founding member of the London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research (LCNTDR).