The world is a much better place than it used to be, especially for young children.

Insecticide-treated mosquito nets and novel treatments have made malaria much less deadly for millions of kids. Many countries now have the tools and techniques they need to nurse even very premature babies back to health. And the stupendous rise of vaccines against deadly diseases — like measles, diphtheria, and pneumonia — have prevented countless children from getting sick to begin with.

But after decades of progress in preventing child deaths, the world is now going in the wrong direction in the very worst way imaginable. According to newly released projections by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) done in partnership with the Gates Foundation, an estimated 4.8 million young children died before their fifth birthday this year. That would represent an increase of 200,000 from the year prior. It........

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