To mark World Health Day on Wednesday, charity World Vision has placed a washing line, hung with babygrows, outside the Houses of Parliament to symbolise the nearly nine million children under five dying each year in developing countries.

Most of these children die from conditions that can be easily prevented such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria.

World Vision’s Child Health Now campaign is calling on the UK government to help stop these deaths through a re-balance of its health funding towards children, families and communities in those countries with the highest need.

More than 270 million children in the poorest countries still live
beyond the reach of even basic health services. Research shows that investing in low-cost, proven interventions such as immunisation and breastfeeding at the family and community level can save millions of children’s lives each year.

In the run up to the general election, World Vision is appealing to the public to play its part in the campaign to keep child health on the agenda for the UK Government this year by signing up to World Vision’s Vote Global campaign.

"The opportunity to see your children grow up healthy should be a right for all and not a question of geography. We are encouraging as many people possible to join us in our call to the UK Government to make child health a priority and put an end to the 24,000 child deaths that happen every day," said Kate Eardley, World Vision’s Health Policy Adviser.

"If we don’t get behind this issue now, millions of children will continue to die needlessly."

Sign up to the Vote Global campaign at www.worldvision.org.uk/election