Quantitative study on death amongst infants in the Kebar Valley

This report informs about the health care situation of Papuans in the Kebar Valley of West Papua, Indonesia. The inquiry took place in August 2008. 137 women from the districts Senopi and Anjai have been interviewed. The research has been started to answer the following question:

What is the mortality rate of baby's (< 1 year) and todlers (< 5 year) amongst the Papuan population in the Kebar region and what are the most important causes of death?

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Health care in the Bird's Head Peninsula (pdf, Dutch)
A quantative study on infant death in the Kebar Valley, West Papua

Conclusions

Out of 708 pregnancies 4.7% led to miscarriage and 1.4% of the children were born dead.
Ouf of 665 child births, where the baby was born alive, 213 baby's and children eventually died. This is an infant mortality rate of 32.0%. This means that almost 1 out of 3 children dies before its fifth birthday.
57.3% of the died children (213) were younger than 1 year old. 27.7% is between the age of 1 to 5 when it dies.
Most baby's and todlers (32.9%) died of fever or malaria. Fever in combination with coughing (probably pneumonia) causes a mortality rate of 13.9%.
Diarroea, icterus, prematures and pulmonary affections like tuberculosis, pneumonia and bronchitis also occur, but in smaller numbers.
In 12.7% of the died infants the cause of death was unknown, according to the mother.
94.4% of the pregnant women give birth at home, whether or not with the presence of a tradtional midwife .
14 children were twin borns; 3 are still alive.

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