Dramatic decline in infant mortality

Gothataone Moeng | Thursday December 12, 2013 17:24

 

This rapid decline in infant mortality is not surprising, argues Rolang Majelantle. In his paper titled ‘Infant and Childhood Mortality Levels and Trends in Botswana’, Majelantle says that successful government programmes such as the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT), the national Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) and nutrition made a significant contribution to the declines in both infant and childhood mortality.  

He also credited the improved socio-economic status of the population in the last decade, arguing that because of the improved education and employment prospects of the population, there has been an increase in access and utilisation of health services.

Although there has been a decline in IMR across all districts, the mortality rate is higher in the rural area (recorded at 21) than it is in urban areas, where it has been recorded at 15 deaths.  

Cities and towns experience very low levels of deaths during the first year of life, recorded at 10 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to rural villages where IMR stands at 17 deaths.

The figures from the 2011 census also show that male infants are more likely to die under the age of one (18 deaths per 1,000 live births), compared to female infants whose incidences were recorded at 17 deaths per 1,000 live births.

The estimation of infant and childhood mortality is based on information collected from mothers about the number of children ever born and how many of these are still alive, Majelantle writes in his paper.

Meanwhile, more good news from the census is the indication that the life expectancy has gone up to 68 years, an increase from the 55.6 recorded in 2001.