*Professor & Head, Department of Statistics, Kumaun University, Uttarakhand.
**Lecturer, Epidemiological and Statistical Cell, Department of Community Medicine, Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences, Gangtok.
To describe the changes in the causes of infant mortality in Sikkim during 1999 to 2011.
To examine the sex differential in cause of infant mortality in Sikkim during 1999 to 2011.
The study was a descriptive, retrospective study based on secondary source of data published by Registrar General of India, New Delhi (RGI, 1999–2011).
Proportion and chi-square test for trend were used to analyze the data.
A total number of 981 Medically Certified Cause of Infant deaths was recorded during 1999 to 2011 and there were 531 male deaths (54%) and 450 female deaths (45.9%) with a female to male ratio of 1:0.58. The overall leading cause of infant deaths were found to be Certain Condition Originating in the parintal period (46.3%) which had accounted for 47.0% male deaths and 43% female deaths. This together with the second leading cause of death, Disease of Respiratory System 190(19.4%) and third major Cause of Death,Certain Infectious Diseases 109(11.0%) constitute 76.8% of Cause of Infant death recorded over this periods.
The main Cause of infant observed in this study was common to the finding of the others similar studies. These findings emphasize the need to improve antenatal care and parinatal care to prevent the high number of infant death in this community.
Infant mortality rate, MCCD, underlying cause of death, ICD-10
