Mpilo recorded a total of 280 child deaths in the first
four months of this year, with neonatal deaths accounting for the majority.
Neonatal deaths occur within the first 28 days of life, a period when children
are at the highest risk of death due to prematurity, birth asphyxia,
infections, birth defects, and kernicterus, among other causes, most of which
are modifiable.
Child mortality refers to the deaths of children under the
age of five and is often reported as the number of deaths per 1,000 live
births. Studies show that in low and middle-income countries, close to half of
the mortality in children under the age of five occurs in neonates.
In 2019, 2.4 million children died globally in their first
month of life, with children born in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia
carrying a ten times higher risk of death than those born in high-income
countries.
Aside from neonatal fatalities, other causes of death at
Mpilo Hospital were classified as fresh stillbirths, macerated stillbirths, and
deaths under five years.
According to statistics provided by the hospital, 92
children died in March compared to 49 in January this year. In February, 84
children died, and in April, 55 children died.
The hospital reported seven fresh stillbirths in January,
two in February, seven in March, and two in April. Fresh stillbirths occur
within a few minutes or hours of birth. There were 12 macerated stillbirths in
January, 18 in February, 18 in March, and 11 in April. Maceration means the
baby had been dead for hours or days in the womb.
Neonatal deaths, which caused the most deaths, totaled 22
in January, 43 in February, 34 in March, and 23 in April, with a total of 122.
For deaths under five years, the hospital recorded eight in
January, 21 in February, 33 in March, and 19 in April, totaling 81.
During this period, the Ministry of Health and Child Care
reported that Mpilo Hospital recorded approximately 2,500 deliveries, with
almost 1,000 requiring surgical intervention.
Mpilo Hospital attributed the causes of stillbirths to
“antepartum hemorrhage, hypertensive disorders (pre-eclampsia and eclampsia),
and cord accidents.” The most significant contributing factor to these deaths,
according to the hospital, is “delay in seeking medical help by pregnant
mothers.”
The causes of neonatal deaths were listed as “prematurity,
birth asphyxia, respiratory distress syndrome, and congenital abnormalities,”
according to Mpilo. Causes of pediatric deaths were “respiratory conditions,
gastroenteritis, neonatal sepsis, and malnutrition.”
Efforts to obtain more detailed information were
unsuccessful as Mpilo’s administration did not respond, despite involvement
from the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC), which is mandated by the Freedom of
Information Act (FIA) to appeal for information on behalf of media outlets.
CITE
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