Last year, 148 infants died in Croatia, which is fewer than in 2016.
According to the infant mortality rate, Croatia is worse than the European average. In Croatia, 148 infants died last year, representing a slight decline compared to 2016 when 161 infants died, revealed a report by the Croatian Institute of Public Health, reports Index.hr on September 15, 2018.
In Croatia, the infant death rate is 4.05 per 1,000 live births, while Eurostat data for 28 EU member states in 2016 stood at 3.6 per 1,000.
The fewest infants among EU countries die in Finland (1.9), Slovenia (2.0) and Estonia (2.3), and most in Malta (7.4), which is probably linked to the fact that abortion in the country is not allowed even in cases of major malformations of the fetus, which is not the case in other European countries.
The lowest infant death rate in Europe is in Iceland (0.7), and the highest in Macedonia (11.9).
Causes of infant deaths in Croatia are pathological conditions related to pregnancy or delivery, major congenital malformations, followed by causes from other groups of diseases.
The Croatian Institute of Public Health points out that deaths due to perinatal causes are most commonly associated with short duration of pregnancy and premature birth due to pathology in pregnancy. “Of all the infants who died because of the above-mentioned perinatal causes, the largest number of deaths occurred immediately after birth, during the first day of life. Ensuring intensive neonatal treatment at childbirth facilities, with a very specialized staff and equipment, could lead to more favourable outcomes,” stated the report for 2017.
Of 148 infants who died last year, 72 died of 11 leading causes of death, which are infections, complications with multiple pregnancies, and other diseases such as respiratory distress syndrome.
Most parents fear the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), which was the cause of six infant deaths in Croatia. It remains among the top ten leading causes of death.
In 2017, the highest rate of infant mortality was recorded in Lika-Senj County (8 per 1,000) and the lowest in Krapina-Zagorje County (0.9 per 1,000).
Of the 148 infant deaths, 89 (60.14%) were male and 59 (39.86%) were female. For comparison, in 2016, out of 161 deceased infants, 82 were female (50.9%) and 79 male (49.1%).
“For the reduction in the total infant mortality rate, an increased survival rate during the first day of life would be the most significant contribution,” the report said.
Translated from Index.hr.
