Pattern of Childhood Mortality at the University of Torin Teaching Hospital.

Abstract

Summary :Of 9260 consecutive admissions to the department of paediatrics, University of florin Teaching Hospital, during a two-year period (January 1983-December 1984), 1078 died, giving an overall mortality of 11.6%. Out of the 1078 cases that died, 92.2% were in the pre-school age group, with a peak in children aged 7-12 months. Only 7.8% of the total deaths occurred in children aged 61 months to 14 years. The major causes of death were gastroenteritis, measles with complications, preterm delivery and malnutrition. 82.1% of the deaths were in children from the high-density urban and periurban area of Ilorin. Majority of the deaths were considered to be preventable. Reduction in childhood mortality can be achieved by community participation in primary health care delivery programmes such as immunization, nutrition and health education and environmental sanitation.