Population commission commences survey on causes of child mortality

The National Population Commission (NpopC) has commenced data collection for the 2019 Verbal And Social Autopsy Survey (VASA) across the country.

This is even as it decried the prevalence of under-5 mortality in the country with an average of 132 deaths per 1000 births.

Speaking at a briefing on Monday in Abuja, the Acting Chairman of the commission, Mrs Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin explained that the survey seeks to gather data to determine the cause and contributory factor to deaths in children aged 0-5.

“The objectives of the survey includes the provision of up-to-date information in early childhood mortality rate, estimation of the prevalence, determination of cultural/behavioural /social and health system factors of neonatal, infant and under-investment mortality using the 2011 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey(NDHS) households,” she added.

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She noted that the survey is the second one in the series conducted by the commission after the first that was conducted in 2014.

The Chairman noted that the outcome of the survey will provide national and zonal estimates of the major causes of under-investment mortality in Nigeria from 2013 to 2018.

She added that the survey: “Will make available patterns of care-seeking, social factors, and interventions received as related to deaths in children less than five years of age, along with qualitative narratives of factors associated with these patterns.”

She expressed the commission’s commitment to generating data to aid planning in the health sector, adding that efforts have been put in place to ensure successful implementation of the survey.