Infant mortality rate at a selected urban, semi-urban and rural areas of Egypt, 1992: a retrospective study

ABSTRACT

A study of infant mortality rate [IMR] in Egypt in 1992 was conducted at three randomly selected areas representing different social classes. IMR per 1000 live births was ranged between 27.1 to 33.5. The differences between male and female IMR were markedly observed with no consensus amongst study areas. Neonatal mortality rate ranged between 4.7 to 11.1 while the post neonatal mortality rate ranged between 18.4 to 23.0 Diarrheal diseases were the most common cause of death amongst infants at all study areas, followed by respiratory illnesses. Inaccurate and under registration were noticed clearly in this work as observed from absence of neonatal deaths in rural areas. Also, in rural areas, prematurity was not recorded as a cause of death. Similarly, neonatal tetanus was not recorded as a cause of death at all study