KIGALI, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The mortality rate of children under age 5 in Rwanda dropped to 45 deaths per 1,000 live births in the fiscal year 2019-2020 from 50 in 2014-2015, a national survey said here on Thursday.
The 2019-2020 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey conducted by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda, however, showed that the decline in mortality rates among new borns and infants has slowed down and eventually stagnated.
The overall infant mortality rate has actually been unchanged in the most recent five-year period, remaining at 33 deaths per 1,000 live births since 2014-2015, and 73 percent of all deaths among children under age 5 in Rwanda happened before a child's first birthday, with 42 percent occurring during the first month of life, it said.
The survey stressed that proper care during pregnancy and delivery is important.
The sixth Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Health is aimed at providing up-to-date estimates of basic demographic and health indicators. Enditem
