PLoS ONE
Volume 10, Issue 8, 2015

Increasing neonatal mortality among Palestine refugees in the Gaza strip (Article) (Open Access)

Van Den Berg M.M. , Madi H.H. , Khader A. , Hababeh M. , Zeidan W. , Wesley H. , El-Kader M.A. , Maqadma M. , Seita A.
  • a Health Department, Headquarters, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Amman, Jordan
  • b Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, World Health Organization, Cairo, Egypt
  • c Health Department, Headquarters, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Amman, Jordan
  • d Health Department, Headquarters, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Amman, Jordan
  • e Health Department, Headquarters, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Amman, Jordan
  • f Health Department, Headquarters, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Amman, Jordan
  • g Health Department, Field Office Gaza, UNRWA, Gaza City, Palestine
  • h Health Department, Field Office Gaza, UNRWA, Gaza City, Palestine
  • i Health Department, Headquarters, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Amman, Jordan

Abstract

Background: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has periodically estimated infant mortality rates among Palestine refugees in Gaza. These surveys have recorded a decline from 127 per 1000 live births in 1960 to 20.2 in 2008. Methods: We used the same preceding-birth technique as in previous surveys. All multiparous mothers who came to the 22 UNRWA health centres to register their last-born child for immunization were asked if their preceding child was alive or dead. We based our target sample size on the infant mortality rate in 2008 and included 3128 mothers from August until October 2013.We used multiple logistic regression analyses to identify predictors of infant mortality. Findings: Infant mortality in 2013 was 22.4 per 1000 live births compared with 20.2 in 2008 (p = 0.61), and this change reflected a statistically significant increase in neonatal mortality (from 12.0 to 20.3 per 1000 live births, p = 0.01). The main causes of the 65 infant deaths were preterm birth (n = 25, 39%), congenital anomalies (n = 19, 29%), and infections (n = 12, 19%). Risk factors for infant death were preterm birth (OR 9.88, 3.98-24.85), consanguinity (2.41, 1.35-4.30) and high-risk pregnancies (3.09, 1.46-6.53). Conclusion: For the first time in five decades, mortality rates have increased among Palestine refugee newborns in Gaza. The possible causes of this trend may include inadequate neonatal care. We will estimate infant and neonatal mortality rates again in 2015 to see if this trend continues and, if so, to assess how it can be reversed. Copyright: © 2015 van den Berg et al.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

refugee follow up human epidemiology Refugees risk assessment Middle East trends statistics and numerical data United Nations premature labor Arab Arabs Social Conditions Palestine social status Humans maternal child health care Infant, Newborn male consanguinity prediction Infant risk factor congenital malformation Risk Factors newborn female supply and distribution pregnancy Article Maternal-child Health Services adult live birth Infant Mortality Perinatal Care newborn mortality high risk pregnancy multipara infection parity cause of death child death
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84941975763&doi=10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0135092&partnerID=40&md5=692b4b32d76b0ec3ef975ae1ceae1020
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135092
ISSN: 19326203
Cited by: 12
Original Language: English