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A FURTHER STUDY ON FETAL LOSS AND CHILD MORTALITY IN THE NORTH OF NIGERIA
Author(s) -
Lang J. R.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1970.tb03545.x
Subject(s) - medicine , measles , pediatrics , infant mortality , mortality rate , demography , pregnancy , population , vaccination , surgery , environmental health , biology , genetics , sociology , immunology
Summary The maternity records of Vom Christian Hospital for the years 1963 to 1967 have been analyzed, and some of the results compared with those of a similar survey conducted at the same hospital 12 years ago. The stillbirth rate of babies of the Birom tribe has fluctuated over the five‐year period, but has not fallen. It is 66·4 per thousand total single births. The death rate of Birom babies in the first week of life is 47·8 per thousand live single births, and has not improved over the five years. The perinatal mortality rate for Birom babies is 107 per thousand total single births. The neonatal mortality rate for Birom babies, based on records of the previous three deliveries only, is 83 per thousand live single births. The infant mortality rate for Birom children is 213 per thousand live births, while the overall “under five years childhood mortality rate” is 266·5 per thousand. This compares favourably with the figure of 490·5 obtained twelve years ago for the same tribe. The figure for overall fetal losses at all stages is 300 per thousand total births for both the Birom children and the children of the other 69 tribes represented in small numbers during the review period. The commonest causes of death in children under five years old are measles (31 per cent), respiratory infections (21 per cent), dysentery (11 per cent), and febrile convulsions (10 per cent). The average birthweight of single Birom babies born alive has increased slightly since the last survey, from 6 pounds ¼ ounce (2729 g.) to 6 pounds 4 ounces (2836 g.). The sex ratio of all babies in whom the sex was recorded is 111 male to 100 female. The incidence of twinning amongst the Birom mothers is 1 in 48, and is even higher amongst the other tribes attending the hospital (1 in 36). In this series as many second twin babies survived as first.