Study confirms decreased mortality in Botswana

Baboki Kayawe | Tuesday June 2, 2015 14:11

There was however an increase in neonatal mortality recorded from 2009 to 2011. This refers to deaths among live births, which occurs during the first 28 completed days of life.  Overall inpatient mortality was 6,353 in 2011, marking a slight decrease of 2.7 percent compared to 6,535 deaths in 2010.

“According to the results there were more male deaths for the selected period compared to female deaths,” stated the report.

For instance, 4,036 males died in 2008 whereas 3,451 females died while in 2009 3,827 males died compared to 3,125 females during the same year.

Though infant and under five mortality show a decrease of 21.9 percent and 3.6 percent respectively for 2010 and 2011, some infants did not survive to age 5 years.  The study further indicated that infant mortality was higher in males than in females. The report also said neonatal deaths increased from 578 in 2009 to 659 in 2010 (14 .0%) and increased to 979 cases in 2011. The highest numbers of neonatal deaths in general hospitals were recorded at Princess Marina Hospital (300) and Bamalete Lutheran Hospital (141). Among primary hospitals, Tsabong recorded the highest neonatal deaths (66) followed by Ghanzi with 62 deaths.

“In 2011, there were 424 in-patient neonatal deaths in Botswana. Males accounted for 239 (56.4%) of this number while females accounted for 185 (43.6%). In-patient neonatal mortality was mostly caused by disorders related to short gestation and low birth weight (29.3%) followed by bacterial sepsis of newborn, unspecified (16.3%), respiratory distress syndrome of newborn (8.7%) and respiratory failure of newborn (5.0%),” read the report. 

Pneumonia and diarrhoea are the major causes of deaths among infants and children under the age of five, in Botswana, followed by septicemia and volume depletion.  “Pneumonia constituted the highest with 15.2 percent followed by diarrhoea at 12.8 percent, then septicemia with 7.5 percent and volume depletion at 7.2 percent.” 

However, statistics show a slight decrease in the percent of infant deaths associated with pneumonia from 18.9 percent in 2010 to 15.2 percent in 2011. 

Just as is the case with infants, pneumonia, diarrhoea and septicemia were found to be the leading causes of mortality for children under the age of five.

In 2011, the above conditions were responsible for 11.5 percent, 10.4 percent and 8.1 percent of deaths for children under the age of five, respectively.

These were followed by volume depletion at 7.8 percent. “Pneumonia was the leading cause of deaths among the general population and accounted for 6.5 percent of all deaths in all ages, followed by septicaemia and (unspecified) Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) disease at 4.1 percent and 3.3 percent respectively,” stated the study.