What is the Infant Mortality rate (IMR)?
Infant mortality rate (IMR),
Total number of deaths under 1 year of age in an area during a year
= …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. × 1000
Number of live births in the same year and same area
Infant mortality rate (IMR) = 57/1000 live birth.
Infant Mortality Prevention Strategies:
The below strategies should follow to reduce the infant mortality rate (IMR) in developing countries like Bangladesh:
A. Identification of High-Risk Parents:
1. Intrauterine infections:
Several organisms can produce congenital anomalies as well as increase the risk of low-birth-weight infants.
2. Maternal age:
Mothers younger than 18 have an increased risk of delivering a low-birth-weight infant.
3. Maternal history of reproductive problems:
Women who have experienced adverse conditions during prior pregnancies (e.g. premature labor, vaginal bleeding, hypertension, miscarriage, and delivery of a low-birth-weight or stillborn infant) have an increased risk of adverse outcomes in subsequent pregnancies.
4. Preexisting maternal illness:
Such conditions include heart, kidney, and thyroid disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and substance abuse. Early detection and aggressive management of maternal illness can reduce the toll of infant loss.
B. Prevention of Unwanted Pregnancies among High-Risk Parents:
It may involve genetic counseling, sex education, and family planning.
C. Management of High-Risk Pregnancies:
It includes the followings:
- Regular screening and monitoring throughout pregnancy,
- Early antenatal care (within the first trimester),
- Delivery in a hospital equipped to manage potential problems related to obstetric risk factors.
- Provision of medical, nutrition, and social services appropriate to the level of risk.
D. Management of High-Risk Newborn:
Management of high-risk newborn includes:
- Immediate access to an intensive care nursery.
- Continues medical, social, and nutritional monitoring following discharge from the intensive care nursery.
There are few other preventive measures of infant mortality rates. Those are presented below:
A. Certain Important Measure:
It includes-
- Low birth rate,
- Improvement of primary health care,
- Highest literacy rate (especially family literacy).
B. Other Preventive Measures:
It includes-
- Prevention of infections e.g. six killer disease,
- Prenatal nutrition,
- Growth monitoring,
- Environmental sanitation,
- Socio-economic development,
- Exclusive breastfeeding,
- Family planning,
- Simple hygiene measure.
More questions related to this article:
- What are infant mortality rates?
- What is the infant mortality rates calculation formula?
- What are the strategies to reduce the infant mortality rates in Bangladesh?
- Mention some measures to reduce the infant mortality rates in developing countries.
- How to reduce child mortality in Bangladesh?
- What are the ways to reduce infant mortality rates in developing countries?
- How can we reduce child mortality humanities?
- How can we prevent child mortality in humanities?
- How will you prevent IMR in Bangladesh?
- Mention some preventive and social measurements of infant mortality rates.
Maria Khatun Mona is a Founder and Editor of Nursing Exercise Blog. She is a Nursing and Midwifery Expert. Currently she is working as a Registered Nurse at Evercare Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. She has great passion in writing different articles on Nursing and Midwifery. Mail her at “[email protected]”
