Infant deaths reveal gaps in healthcare system
A new report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows that prematurity and birth asphyxia - a condition where babies don't get enough oxygen during birth - remain the leading killers of children under five years.
What you need to know:
- Pneumonia killed 13,239 children, while respiratory infections that claimed 7,925 lives during the same period.
More than 19,000 Kenyan children have died from preventable birth complications in the past five years, exposing critical weaknesses in the country's maternal and newborn care systems.
A new report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that prematurity and birth asphyxia - a condition where babies don't get enough oxygen during birth - remain the leading killers of children under five years.
The crisis in numbers
The toll from birth asphyxia has remained persistently high, with annual deaths rising from 3,481 in 2019 to 4,047 in 2020, peaking at 4,239 in 2021, before slightly declining to 3,641 in 2022 and rising again to 3,827 in 2023.
Other major causes of infant deaths include pneumonia, which killed 13,239 children, and respiratory infections that claimed 7,925 lives during the same period.
While respiratory infection deaths showed a dramatic drop from 2,211 in 2022 to 210 in 2023, birth complication cases continued to rise, according to the Vital Statistics Report released last week by KNBS. Sepsis emerged as another significant threat, causing 1,276 deaths in 2023 alone among children under five years old.
Regional context
The findings come as Sub-Saharan Africa continues to record the world's highest newborn death rate at 27 deaths per 1,000 live births, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Together with Southern Asia, the region accounted for more than 80 per cent of the 4.9 million global under-five deaths in 2022, highlighting a broader crisis in maternal and child healthcare across developing nations.
WHO attributes these deaths to conditions and diseases associated with lack of quality care at birth or skilled care and treatment immediately after birth and in the first days of life.
Age-specific impacts
The KNBS report reveals that among children under one year old, both males and females were most affected by prematurity and birth asphyxia, followed by pneumonia throughout most of the study period. Respiratory infections ranked as the second leading cause of death in 2020 and 2022.
For newborns specifically (under four weeks old), prematurity and birth asphyxia claimed the most lives, followed by respiratory infections. In 2023, neonatal sepsis emerged as the second leading cause of death among newborns, claiming 1,141 lives.
WHO lists premature birth, birth complications (birth asphyxia/trauma), neonatal infections and congenital anomalies as the leading causes of neonatal deaths globally.
For children under five years old, the WHO lists acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea and malaria, along with pre-term birth complications, birth asphyxia and trauma and congenital anomalies as the leading causes of death globally.
Out of the lives lost, Sub Saharan Africa also continues to offer grim chances of survival for children. in 2022, the region, together with southern Asia, accounted for more than 80 per cent of the 4.9 million under five deaths in 2022.
The KNBS report underscores the urgent need for improved maternal and child healthcare services. The persistent high numbers of preventable deaths highlight the critical importance of strengthening healthcare systems, particularly in addressing birth complications and respiratory infections.
