Burden and Causes of Death Among Children Under Five: Analysis of Death Registration Data from the Community in Lao Cai Province 2022–2023

Objectives: The study reports mortality prevalence and causes of death amongst children under five in Lao Cai province during 2022–2023 from community death registration system. Methods: Data were collected from routine death registration systems, named A6/YTCS, in Lao Cai province. The study analysed and reported the distribution of mortality rates by age, geographic and gender and causes of deaths. Results: Death registration reports 385 deaths of children under 5 in Lao Cai province during the study period. Numbers of neonatal deaths were the highest, account for 32,6% according to A6/YTCS and 35,3% by other sources. Numbers of deaths in boys are higher than girls. Findings showed that preterm birth, pneumonia, and drowning, accounting for 24%, 22%, and 10% of total child deaths in Lao Cai, respectively. Conclusions: Preterm mortality and drowning are the leading causes of death for children in Lao Cai province. We recommend further assessments the cause of death using community-based data to boost the intervention measure for neonatal health care in Lao Cai.