This archive report was first published on 27 October 2019.
According to a study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), child mortality rates in Kenya have declined by nearly half over the past 20 years. The study found that the number of children dying before their fifth birthday dropped from 96,909 in 2000 to 59,914 in 2017.
The research, which mapped child deaths in 99 low and middle-income countries at the level of individual districts, municipalities, and provinces, revealed significant disparities in child mortality rates across different regions in Kenya.
For instance, Nyatike Sub-county in Migori County had the highest rate at 82 per 1,000 live births, while Saku in Marsabit had the lowest rate at 26. The study also found that sub-counties in Northern Kenya generally performed better than those in other parts of the country.
Despite the decline in child mortality rates, the study pointed out that neonatal disorders remained the biggest cause of deaths before age five in both 2000 and 2017. The researchers also found that the reduction in deaths from HIV and AIDS was a significant factor in the decline in child mortality rates.
“Country-level estimates facilitate international comparisons but mask important geographical heterogeneity,” the researchers stated.
The study's findings have significant implications for healthcare policy in Kenya. The researchers estimated that if every district in the low and middle-income countries studied had met the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of at least 25 child deaths per 1,000 live births, 2.6 million fewer children would have died.
Dr. Simon I Hay, the senior author on the study and Director of the Local Burden of Disease (LBD) group at IHME, noted that the study reveals areas of success where strategies could be replicated across and within countries.
For example, in Rwanda, the highest district-level rate of child deaths in 2017 was less than half that of the lowest district-level death rate in 2000 – gains partially attributed to investments in children’s health in the poorest communities, expansion of health insurance, and increasing numbers of community health workers.
