Nonetheless, the significant debt relief package from the IMF and World Bank should enable the Ugandan government to allocate more resources toward national initiatives addressing the health and social welfare of all Ugandans. Moreover, social development should accompany the steady growth of the economy since 1987. Current government social policies and programs, with increasing investment and aid of the international community, should be prioritized towards securing survival and health for all Ugandan children, the future of Uganda. Findings of the Uganda case study Uganda's under-five child mortality rate of 147 deaths per 1000 births is among the world's highest. Ugandan children still die largely from preventable diseases.
Malaria is the leading killer, responsible for one in five child deaths.
More than a quarter of all under-five deaths are attributable to measles, diarrhoeal diseases and respiratory infections. AIDS is now the fifth leading cause of death for children under age five. The AIDS epidemic continues to have an adverse impact not just on the children directly, but also on the family and community, as reflected in the rising numbers of AIDS orphans. The health and well-being of Ugandan children are harmed by the ethnic and regional tensions, the ongoing insurgency, and the legacy of social and economic disruption from decades of armed conflict, civil strife, and displacement. Uganda remains one of the world's poorest countries.