Description Apollonius died centuries ago at the age of 7 weeks. A statue of Mary sits forefront to his head stone, a reminder of the pure and nurturing maternal instinct. The tragedy of infant mortality continues on into the 21rst century with alarming and incomprehensible statistics. About 25,000 young children die every day, mainly from preventable causes. Two-thirds of child deaths are preventable. Malnutrition and the lack of safe water and sanitation contribute to half of all these childrens deaths. Research and experience show that most of the children who die each year could be saved by low-tech, evidence-based, cost-effective measures such as vaccines, antibiotics, micronutrient supplementation, insecticide-treated bed nets, improved family care and breastfeeding practices. In the United States, the incidence of homicide of children less than 1 year old has increased over the past quarter-century. Maternal filicide, or child murder by mothers, occurs more frequently in the United States than in other developed nations.This is a shameful statistic in today's world. According to an estimate by UNICEF, one million child deaths could be prevented annually at a cost of $US 1 billion per year (an average of $US 1000 for each child).http://www.futureofchildren.org/index.htm Image John Baldwin/PhotonJon 2008 Any unauthorized use or duplication is strictly prohibited.