Researchers ID causes that could be addressed to reduce death rate in very young children
MONDAY, Nov. 15 (HealthDay News) -- In India, nearly 1.5 million children who died in 2005 succumbed to five avoidable causes, according to research published online Nov. 15 in The Lancet.
Diego G. Bassani, Ph.D., of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, and other Million Death Study collaborators determined cause-specific national and regional mortality rates for neonatal deaths and deaths at 1 to 59 months by examining data from the Registrar General of India and the United Nations.
The researchers found that three causes accounted for 78 percent of the 1.01 million projected neonatal deaths: prematurity and low birth weight, neonatal infections, and birth trauma and birth asphyxia. In children aged 1 to 59 months, 50 percent of the 1.34 million projected deaths were attributed to pneumonia and diarrhea-related diseases. Disparities were apparent by sex and region.
"Five avoidable causes accounted for nearly 1.5 million child deaths in India in 2005, with substantial differences between regions and sexes. Expanded neonatal and intrapartum care, case management of diarrhea and pneumonia, and addition of new vaccines to immunization programs could substantially reduce child deaths in India," the authors write.
Abstract
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