Initial findings from a novel population-based child mortality surveillance approach: a descriptive study

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Pediatric Mortality
• Pathogen Identification

Background:

• Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia account for the majority of global under-5 deaths and stillbirths.
• Current methods for determining causes of death are often non-specific and focus on a single underlying cause.
• Accurate identification of mortality causes is crucial for effective prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide detailed data on contributory causes of death in stillborn fetuses, neonates, and children under 5 years.
• To improve the accuracy of cause-of-death determination in high-mortality regions.
• To inform targeted child mortality prevention efforts.

Main Methods:

• The Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) Network collected standardized, population-based data.
• Minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) was employed for post-mortem diagnostics.
• Expert panels characterized causal chains, including underlying, intermediate, and immediate causes of death.

Main Results:

• Minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) identified at least one cause of death in 98% of cases.
• Multiple conditions were identified in the causal chain for 63% of deaths.
• Common underlying causes included perinatal asphyxia, preterm birth complications, congenital infections, sepsis, congenital birth defects, lower respiratory infections, and HIV.

Conclusions:

• MITS enables detailed characterization of contributing conditions to mortality.
• Findings from CHAMPS strengthen global estimates of child mortality aetiologies.
• This approach provides a more complete overview of mortality chains, highlighting potential interventions.