KALABURAGI: Infant and maternity deaths are declining in Kalaburagi district, sources in the Health Department claimed.
Sources claimed that infant deaths in 2013-14 were 815, it was 800 in 2014-15 and during last year from April-2015 to March-2016 infant deaths in Kalaburagi district has been recorded as 745.
Of the 745 infant deaths, 418 were male infants and 327 were female infants. 723 infants died in the hospital and the remaining during delivery by trained midwives. Infant deaths in Kalaburagi district is 15 per thousand in 2015-16 while it was 16 in 2014-15. State average is 32 per thousand.
In all, 271 babies died on the first day, 175 in two to four days, 79 in four to seven days, 104 in seven to 28 days and 116 in 29 days and more. Sources said 48 infants died because of premature birth, 120 due to low weight birth, one of diarrhoea, 192 of asphyxia, 35 of pneumonia, 164 of sepsis, 27 of heart diseases, three of jaundice and 154 due to other reasons in 2015-16.
Highest number of infant deaths were reported in Kalaburagi (Urban) with 608 infant deaths followed by Chincholi taluk-40, Afzalpur-25, Sedam-20, Aland-27, Chittapur-14, Kalaburagi (Rural)-11 and Jewargi-10.
District Health Officer Dr Zakir Ansari said though 608 infants died in Kalaburagi, most of the babies were from different villages of the district and were brought here for treatment.
Delay in bringing the babies is also one of the reasons for infant deaths, he said. In March 2016 alone, 57 infants died in the district, including 46 in Kalaburagi (Urban). Thirty-nine maternal deaths were reported in Kalaburagi district in 2015-16 while it was 47 in 2014-15.