HEALTH-UAE: Dramatic fall seen in infant mortality rate

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Att.Editors: The following item is by the United Arab Emirates news agency (WAM)

ABU DHABI, Mar 3 2003 (IPS) - Infant mortality rate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has dropped dramatically over the past three years, according to an expert.

"The infant death rate in the country decreased from 11.57 percent per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 8.21 percent per 1,000 live births in 2000," said Dr Mohammed Salah, Consultant Geneticist at the Ministry of Health.

Giving a lecture on Congenital Anomalies in the UAE at a symposium on Common Neonatal Health Problems on Thursday, Dr Salah said the proportion of infant deaths due to congenital abnormalities (CAs), however, showed an increase in 2000 compared to the 1980s, according to a report in the ‘Khaleej Times’.

The proportion of infant mortality caused by CAs indicates that prevention of CAs and national congenital abnormalities registry (NCAR) should be given priority in the country, said Dr Salah.

"The NCAR is a system of ongoing and permanent registration for the collection, storage and analysis of personal, demographic and medical data on affected neonates and infants," said Dr Salah.

The objectives of the registry are to determine the baseline birth prevalence of different congenital abnormality entities, highlight the topic for the medical community in order to improve the quality of diagnosis and recording and too establish the priority list of preventive efforts, he said.

On the nature and causes of CAs, Dr Salah said: "CAs represent a special category of disorders characterized by their earliest onset and limited chance for complete recovery."

The abnormalities are mainly caused by genetic factors including chromosomal, single gene or multifactorial. The genetic factors represent 30 to 40 percent, he said.

Other factors are environmental factors (Teratogens), including drugs and chemicals, and infections (maternal illness or physical agents), representing 5 to 10 percent, said Dr Salah.

"Prevention, which is the only optimal solution, is based on real knowledge of baseline prevalence of different CA entities, causes and possible risk factors," he said.

Pre-marital check-up, which provides pedigree analysis for any genetic diseases or congenital anomalies in the family and avoiding exposure to drugs, radiation and infectious agents, are also very important as a means of prevention, advised Dr Salah.

He added that further efforts were recommended to enhance awareness of health professionals and nurses, especially in medical districts where under-reporting is an obvious concern.

According to the annual report for 2000, released recently by the Central Preventive Medicine Department, the CAs have consistently ranked as the fourth cause of death in the country in recent years with congenital anomalies accounting for 90 percent of deaths among children below 15 years.

"In 2000, approximately 90.6 percent of deaths due to CAs occurred before the seven-day off life and a total of 07.3 percent in infancy, while nearly seven percent died before the age of 15," the report said.

HEALTH-UAE: Dramatic fall seen in infant mortality rate

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Att.Editors: The following item is by the United Arab Emirates news agency (WAM)

ABU DHABI, Mar 3 2003 (IPS) - Infant mortality rate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has dropped dramatically over the past three years, according to an expert.
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