National Population Commission (NPC) has identified severe infections such as pneumonia, septicemia and meningitis among the common causes of neonatal (infant) deaths in Nigeria.
The Federal Commissioner, NPC, Enugu State, Ejike Eze, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the ongoing 2019 Verbal and Social Autopsy (VASA) Survey.
According to Eze, other causes of neonatal deaths, including preterm birth (early birth), birth asphyxia (a child not breathing or crying at birth), are tetanus and malformations, religious beliefs, socio-cultural practices, age and education of mother, socio-economic status of household, illness recognition, quality of care and health system factors.
On the VASA Survey, he said the exercise was slated to last from October 19 to December 18, 2019 in all the local government areas of Enugu State, except Awgu Local Government Area.
Eze said NPC commenced the survey to obtain data to determine the causes and contributory factors to deaths in children from 0 to 5 years.
“The objectives of the survey includes the provision of up-to-date information on early childhood mortality rate, estimation of the prevalence, determination of cultural, behavioural, social and health system factors of neonatal (death of a live-born infant within the first 28 days of life), infant and under five mortality, using the 2018 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) households.
“The 2019 edition of the VASA survey is the second in the series conducted by the National Population Commission. The first time the survey was conducted in Nigeria was in the year 2014.
“As the only agency of government with the constitutional mandate of generating and providing demographic data for planning purposes, the National Population Commission, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and other key Ministries, Departments and Agencies, is conducting the 2019 VASA survey to assist policy makers with reliable data to plan and formulate policies for the health sector in relation to maternal and child health in Nigeria,” Eze said.
Samson Oyedeyi
