Determinants of Neonatal Morbidity And Mortality In The Suburbs of Dakar in Senegal

Abstract

Introduction: Neonatal morbidity and mortality is a major public health problem in developing countries such as Senegal. The objective of our study was to study the determinants of neonatal morbidity and mortality in a hospital located in the suburbs of Dakar in Senegal. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective, descriptive and analytical study over the period from 1 January to 31 December 2019 (1 year). Results: Of the 1198 children hospitalized in the ward, all 500 were newborns. (incidence=41.7%). The sex ratio was 1.29. The most common maternal pathologies were hypertension, preeclampsia and diabetes. The notion of urogenital infection was reported in 21% of cases MPR was greater than 12 hours in 60% of cases. More than a quarter (27%) of newborns had not screamed at birth and 74% were resuscitated. Almost half of newborns (43%) were preterm infants. Hypotrophs accounted for 48% (n=202). Diagnoses on admission were dominated by infections neonatal, inhalation of amniotic fluid, hyaline membrane disease and perinatal asphyxia. The mortality rate was 19% (n=95). The most frequently found causes of death were related to prematurity (48.4%), respiratory distress (82%) and nosocomial infections (20%). Conclusion: Despite initiatives undertaken at the national level, statistics remain alarming and call for more efforts to be made to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.