Child Mortality Rate in Iran Compared with Other Eastern Medi-terranean Countries Based on WHO Report in 2017

The world has reached substantial progress in re-ducing child mortality in recent decades . Every year, preventable causes such as pneumonia, diar-rhea and malaria are responsible for millions of death of children under 5 yr of age. More than half of the deaths are associated with malnutrition, while some environmental factors like unsafe wa-ter, sanitation and hygiene have significant effect on child mortality indices . Child mortality is considered as a key indicator not only for child health but for monitoring overall progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, we discuss the status of this index in Iran compared to other Middle Eastern countries according to reported data to the WHO in 2016 .