[Birth defects mortality in five-year-old minors of age, Mexico, 1998-2006]

To analyze mortality due to birth defects from 1998-2006. To select municipalities with high mortality among children under 5 years of age.

The source of information was mortality records from vital statistics collected by SSA/INEGI. We used the 2005 Municipal Geostatistical Framework by INEGI and SIGEPI for the spatial analysis. The selection criteria were municipalities with 80% and over of deaths due to birth defects.

Deaths diminished 8% during 1998-2006 and rates decreased 20%. A total of 42.57% - 48% of deaths are due to circulatory system defects and 13.69% - 19.39% are due to the nervous system; the former rose 4% and the latter fell 32%. Eighty percent or more occur in children under 5 years and the rate in this group fell 8.63%. A total of 1 025 (41.82%) municipalities are priorities, 104 (10.14%) are high and 102 (9.95%) are very high priorities, where 66% of deaths occur among children under 5 years old.

The interventions to decrease mortality due to birth defects should be directed towards one-year-old children (75%) and towards 8.4% of the municipalities that are a very high priority, since they represent 66% of the deaths.