Under-five child mortality associated with infection: retrospective study, 2018–2022

Purpose: Mortality in under-five children is a public health concern, and it is an indicator for assessing the progress and overall welfare of a country. Various infectious and noninfectious diseases cause mortality in under-five children. This study was conducted to assess the causes of mortality in under-five children associated with infectious diseases. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted by collecting the medical records of under-five children who died because of infectious diseases at Kasturba Hospital, Manipal during the 5-year period from 2018 to 2022. Data analysis was performed to identify the causes, clinical characteristics, and age patterns of the children using Jamovi software. Results: Among the total 15 933 live births, 642 patients had mortality. Among 642 mortality, 190 (25.5%) died because of the presence of infectious diseases with overall infant mortality rate per 1000 live births representing 11.9. The highest mortality rate was observed in children aged 0–1 year (81.5%). Respiratory distress was the most common complaint (34.7%). Among the bacterial isolates, Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most predominant bacteria. In addition, Candida spp. and influenza virus were also reported. Sepsis (49%), low birth weight (11%), birth asphyxia (10%), malnutrition (3%) were the other factors found in under-five children who had mortality. Conclusion: Pneumonia as the primary cause of death due to infectious diseases in children, followed by other infectious diseases. Clinical sepsis is linked to bacteremia-related deaths. Comprehensive prospective studies and public health measures are needed to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and management of these pediatric conditions.