World IN BRIEF : WORLDWIDE : Reduction of Child Death Rates Urged

Diarrhea and respiratory diseases such as pneumonia killed 7.5 million children last year, but child deaths in the Third World could be slashed through simple treatment, the World Health Organization said. Director General Hiroshi Nakajima said diarrhea deaths could be cut by half over 10 years, mainly by treatment with oral rehydration salts. Pneumonia fatalities could be reduced by a third through use of oral antibiotics. Both treatments cost less than 50 cents per person. WHO will need an additional $20 million a year by the mid-1990s to achieve its goals of slashing child death rates.