In India, female infants are more likely than male infants to die of easily treatable conditions, according to a recent report.
![Infant girls in India more likely to die Infant girls in India more likely to die](https://drop.ndtv.com/images/story-noimage.png?q=50)
The researchers attribute the higher rate of death in infant girls to discrimination and neglect. The excess number of unexplained deaths and deaths due to treatable conditions such as diarrhoeal disease in girls might be because girls are regarded and treated less favourably in India. The bias against females is a "complex problem", the solution for which requires a multidimensional approach. While physicians and other healthcare professional can play a role in preventing infanticide, governments will ultimately have to step forward. East Asia, West Asia, Southern Asia, and North Africa can be described as "female deficit areas," where men significantly outnumber women. The government is a major stakeholder in health matters such as this, and it is more so in developing countries. The short-term interventions include 'strong girl-child centered educational programmes' focusing on nutrition and health care. Medium-term interventions would include empowerment, awareness and self-esteem enhancement programmes targeted at adolescent girls.
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