Millions of children die every year for preventable reasons

Environmental dangers and unsanitary conditions are fatal for children: according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1.7 million children under five years die. Most of them are affected in developing countries.

That is about one in four deaths at this age, as the WHO reported in Geneva. Most children die in developing countries.

The deadly dangers lurked everywhere: for example, smoke, inhaling smoke when cooking on fire places, air pollution, contaminated water and missing toilets. Children are often affected by diarrhea , malaria and pneumonia , which is very dangerous for the little ones. "Their growing organs, their immune system, their small bodies and their air tubes - all make the children particularly vulnerable to dirty air and dirty water," said WHO Director General Margaret Chan.

These are the five main causes of death

The five most important causes of death for small children are respiratory infections, diarrhea, complications during the first month of life due to poor health care of the pregnant mother, malaria and accidents like poisoning, drowning and falls.

The WHO sees great action: Families in poor countries need a way to cook and heat without smoke, schools need good toilets and health stations clean water as well as reliable electricity. Cities need more green spaces and safe cycle paths, public transport should produce fewer emissions, and the industry needs to reduce the use of chemicals and dispose of toxic waste better.