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Charity Ruzvidzo Chronicle Reporter
MATABELELAND North and Bulawayo have the lowest infant mortality rates in the country, according to surveys carried out by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) early this year.
Infant mortality rate is the probability of a child dying before its first birthday.
ZimStat revealed that Matabeleland North has 36 percent and Bulawayo has 37 percent infant mortality rates.

“Matabeleland North has 36 percent infant mortality rate followed by Bulawayo which has 37 percent, these are the lowest records of infant deaths,” said ZimStat.
Midlands has 63 percent infant mortality rate while Mashonaland Central has the highest infant mortality rate of 73 percent.

“Mashonaland Central has the highest infant mortality rate at 73 percent followed by Matabeleland South which has 67 percent infant mortality rate,” said ZimStat.
According to ZimStat, the rural population experiences the higher average percentage of infant mortality, at 56 percent, while the urban population have 51 percent of infant deaths. Overall the country has recorded 55 percent mortality rate.

The mortality levels across the successive five-year period show that infant mortality rate was 50 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 2014.
Globally, 10 million infants and children die each year before their fifth birthday. Ninety-nine percent of these deaths occur in developing nations.

Aids, neonatal problems, pneumonia and diarrhoea have led to vast deaths of infants. Also the high cost of obtaining treatment and the lack of easy access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation are major obstacles to reducing infant mortality rates.