BACKGROUND: Being the highest contributor to under-5 mortality, neonatal mortality and morbidity has great impact to the attainment of millennium development goals 4 (MDG 4). In Nigeria and other developing countries, this indicator strongly poses a major challenge in achieving this goal. OBJECTIVES: To determine the morbidity and mortality pattern of admitted babies in the special care baby unit (SCBU) of Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a comparative and descriptive longitudinal study of causes of morbidity and mortality between babies born within (inborn) and outside our hospital facilities (outborn) based on information on place of birth, APGAR scores, age on admission, diagnosis on admission, duration of hospital stay, and outcome of newborns admitted into the sick and SCBU over a 1 year period. RESULTS: A total of 261 neonates were admitted during the period under review. The common causes of admissions seen from the study were perinatal asphyxia (80, 30.7%), low birth weight (64, 24.5%), neonatal sepsis (44, 16.9%), and neonatal jaundice (16, 0.06%). A total of 37 (14.2%) deaths were recorded during the period. The leading causes of deaths were severe form of perinatal asphyxia (18, 52.9%), neonatal sepsis (10, 29.4%), and very low birth weight (two, 0.06%). Fifty-five percent of all the deaths occurred within 24 h of admission. Death due to asphyxia was more in babies born outside the hospital (outborn) than in babies born within the hospital (inborn). Equal number of outborn and inborn babies died from neonatal sepsis. The age at presentation to the sick baby unit was significantly lower in inborn (P = 0.004), while age at death was not different in both group of newborns (P = 0.876). CONCLUSION: The neonatal mortality rate and the causes of death in this study are similar to those documented by other studies in Nigeria and are largely preventable. Strengthening perinatal care, emergency obstetric services, and enhancement of neonatal resuscitation skills to traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and other community health workers are necessary to reduce the neonatal mortality in our setting and other rural settings across developing countries.
BACKGROUND: Being the highest contributor to under-5 mortality, neonatal mortality and morbidity has great impact to the attainment of millennium development goals 4 (MDG 4). In Nigeria and other developing countries, this indicator strongly poses a major challenge in achieving this goal. OBJECTIVES: To determine the morbidity and mortality pattern of admitted babies in the special care baby unit (SCBU) of Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a comparative and descriptive longitudinal study of causes of morbidity and mortality between babies born within (inborn) and outside our hospital facilities (outborn) based on information on place of birth, APGAR scores, age on admission, diagnosis on admission, duration of hospital stay, and outcome of newborns admitted into the sick and SCBU over a 1 year period. RESULTS: A total of 261 neonates were admitted during the period under review. The common causes of admissions seen from the study were perinatal asphyxia (80, 30.7%), low birth weight (64, 24.5%), neonatal sepsis (44, 16.9%), and neonatal jaundice (16, 0.06%). A total of 37 (14.2%) deaths were recorded during the period. The leading causes of deaths were severe form of perinatal asphyxia (18, 52.9%), neonatal sepsis (10, 29.4%), and very low birth weight (two, 0.06%). Fifty-five percent of all the deaths occurred within 24 h of admission. Death due to asphyxia was more in babies born outside the hospital (outborn) than in babies born within the hospital (inborn). Equal number of outborn and inborn babies died from neonatal sepsis. The age at presentation to the sick baby unit was significantly lower in inborn (P = 0.004), while age at death was not different in both group of newborns (P = 0.876). CONCLUSION: The neonatal mortality rate and the causes of death in this study are similar to those documented by other studies in Nigeria and are largely preventable. Strengthening perinatal care, emergency obstetric services, and enhancement of neonatal resuscitation skills to traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and other community health workers are necessary to reduce the neonatal mortality in our setting and other rural settings across developing countries.
Authors: Grace Irimu; Jalemba Aluvaala; Lucas Malla; Sylvia Omoke; Morris Ogero; George Mbevi; Mary Waiyego; Caroline Mwangi; Fred Were; David Gathara; Ambrose Agweyu; Samuel Akech; Mike English Journal: BMJ Glob Health Date: 2021-05
Authors: Manjunath S Somannavar; Shivaprasad S Goudar; Amit P Revankar; Janet L Moore; Elizabeth M McClure; Pablo Destefanis; Martha DeCain; Norman Goco; Linda L Wright Journal: BMC Pediatr Date: 2015-08-06 Impact factor: 2.125
Authors: Selina Chow; Ronald Chow; Mila Popovic; Michael Lam; Marko Popovic; Joav Merrick; Ruth Naomi Stashefsky Margalit; Henry Lam; Milica Milakovic; Edward Chow; Jelena Popovic Journal: Front Public Health Date: 2015-10-07