Etiology of child mortality in Goroka, Papua New Guinea: A prospective two-year study

Abstract

Objective: To collect accurate data on disease- and microbial-specific causes and avoidable factors in child deaths in a developing country. Methods: A systematic prospective audit of deaths of children seen at Goroka Hospital in the highlands of Papua New Guinea was carried out. Over a 24-month period, we studied 353 consecutive deaths of children: 126 neonates, 186 children aged 1-59 months, and 41 children aged 5-12 years. Findings: The most frequent age-specific clinical diagnoses were as follows: for neonates - very low birth weight, septicaemia, birth asphyxia and congenital syphilis; for children aged 1-59 months - pneumonia, septicaemia, marasmus and meningitis; and for children aged..