Age profile of neonatal deaths.

Neonatal survival has emerged as the key to further reduction in child mortality. Distribution of neonatal deaths in first week of life in the community is poorly understood. In a cross sectional survey covering a population of 13,16,681, information was collected retrospectively for one-year reference period on 30,473 births, 1,521 neonatal deaths and 2,218 infant deaths from five rural sites in India. Of all neonatal deaths, 39.3% occurred on first day of life, and 56.8 % during the first three days. The study highlights importance of first three days as the most hazardous phase in life and provides evidence base for postnatal care guidelines.