| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2019 | Volume
: 24
| Issue : 1 | Page : 47-52 |
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Under-five mortality at the children’s emergency room of Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, Southeastern Nigeria
Chikaodili A Ibeneme, Ezinwa O Ezuruike, Francis C Korie, Ndubuisi K Chukwudi
Department of Paediatrics, Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Chikaodili A Ibeneme
Department of Paediatrics, Federal Medical Center (FMC), Umuahia, Abia State
Nigeria
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | 4 |
DOI: 10.4103/ijmh.IJMH_9_19
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Background: Under-five children’s death is one of the vital indices of a society’s development and a telling evidence of their priorities and values. An audit of the common causes of mortality among under-fives is essential in ensuring optimum child survival. Aim: To determine the magnitude, causes, and determinants of under-five deaths at the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, Southeastern Nigeria. Subjects and Methods: A retrospective review of all postneonatal under-five deaths at the Children’s Emergency Room from January 2012 to December 2016, was carried out and the information was analyzed. Results: Of a total of 6141 under-fives admitted during the 5-year period, 197 died giving a mortality rate of 32 per 1000 LB. Boys accounted for 106 (53.8%) with no gender difference in the mortality rates (P = 0.262). The leading primary causes of death were sepsis, severe malaria, diarrheal disease, meningitis, pneumonia, and severe acute malnutrition, accounting for 95%. Deaths due to malaria occurred more among the preschool age group than that among infants and toddlers (P = 0.013), whereas those due to pneumonia were more prevalent among infants (P = 0.012). Diarrheal disease caused more deaths during the dry weather season (P = 0.009). Approximately 40% of the deaths occurred within 24h of arrival to the Emergency Unit. The most common complications leading to death were dehydration, severe anemia, shock, heart failure, and hypoglycemia. Conclusion: The leading causes of under-fives deaths in our center are preventable infectious diseases. Intensification of goal-targeted, disease-specific preventive measures is recommended. |
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