Under-five child mortality associated with infection: retrospective study, 2018-2022

Purpose: Mortality in under-five children is a public health concern, and it is an indicator for assessing the progress and overall welfare of a country. Various infectious and noninfectious diseases cause mortality in under-five children. This study was conducted to assess the causes of mortality in under-five children associated with infectious diseases. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted by collecting the medical records of under-five children who died because of infectious diseases at Kasturba Hospital, Manipal during the 5-year period from 2018 to 2022. Data analysis was performed to identify the causes, clinical characteristics, and age patterns of the children using Jamovi software. Results: Among the total 15 933 live births, 642 patients had mortality. Among 642 mortality, 190 (25.5%) died because of the presence of infectious diseases with overall infant mortality rate per 1000 live births representing 11.9. The highest mortality rate was observed in children aged 0-1 year (81.5%). Respiratory distress was the most common complaint (34.7%). Among the bacterial isolates, Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most predominant bacteria. In addition, Candida spp. and influenza virus were also reported. Sepsis (49%), low birth weight (11%), birth asphyxia (10%), malnutrition (3%) were the other factors found in under-five children who had mortality. Conclusion: Pneumonia as the primary cause of death due to infectious diseases in children, followed by other infectious diseases. Clinical sepsis is linked to bacteremia-related deaths. Comprehensive prospective studies and public health measures are needed to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and management of these pediatric conditions.