Neonatal Mortality: Incidence, Correlates and Improvement Strategies

The neonatal period (birth to 28th day of life) is the most vulnerable and high-risk time in lifebecause of the highest mortality and morbidity incidence in human life during this period. An estimated 40percent of deaths in children less than five years of age occur during the first 28 days of life (WHO, 2011a). The remaining 60 percent of deaths occur during the subsequent 1800 days of the first five years of life. The average daily mortality rate during the neonatal period is close to 30 fold higher than during the postnatal period (one month to one year of age). During 2010, an estimated 7.7 million children under five years of age died worldwide (Rajaratnam et al., 2010). This included 3.1 million neonatal deaths, 2.3 million post neonatal deaths (age one month to one year) and 2.3 million childhood deaths (age 1-4 years).