NPC commences Data Collection for Verbal, social Autopsy Survey in Rivers State

Tina Amanda

The National Population Commission office in Rivers State has commenced the 2019 Data Collection for Verbal and social Autopsy (VASA) Survey for child mortality rate in the state.

This is based on the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) which shows a high mortality rate of children under the age of zero to five years.

Honourable Commissioner of the Commission in Rivers State, Dr Ipalibo Harry, who disclosed this during a media interaction in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, said the survey is to determine the major causes of death of children below five, gauge the social factors and interventions.

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According to him, the 2018 NDHS Survey indicates that three thousand, two hundred and fifteen under-five children died randomly from one state.

He stressed that the regional occurrence of neonatal and child death shows twenty per cent in the south and eighty per cent in the North.

“The Verbal and Social Autopsy VASA Survey is a research study that seeks to obtain accurate data for determining the cause and contributors to the death of children ages 0-5 years.

“The survey will among other THINGS, provide national and zonal level estimates of the major causes of under-five mortality in Nigeria between the period of 2013-2018.

“It will make available national and zonal patterns of care-seeking, social factors and interventions received in relation to deaths of young children under five years of age, along with quantitative narratives of factors associated with these patterns.

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“In Nigeria, the most common causes of neonatal deaths include preterm birth, birth asphyxia, severe infections such as septicemia, pneumonia and meningitis. Other causes are tetanus malformation, socio-cultural and health system factors which include the age of mother, education, socio-economic status of household and quality of care”

He called on government officials, security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders, community leaders, youth, women groups and the media to cooperate with the NPC team that will be posted to some local government areas to conduct the survey.

“We have two sets of interviewing teams on the field, qualitative and quantitative teams. The quantitative team will focus on responses from caregivers in the household, while the qualitative team will focus on group discussion and in-depth interview within the community in addition to household interviews.

“We are optimistic that the data generated by this survey will be used by policymakers and other stakeholders to design programs that will go a long way in reducing neonatal and child mortality to the barest minimum in Nigeria.

“We urge Rivers people to give necessary support to the interviewing teams throughout the duration of the survey in Rivers State”

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Our correspondent, Tina Amanda, gathered that the VASA Survey will be carried out in eighteen local government as follows: Ahoada East, Ahoada West, Andoni, Asari-Toru, Bonny, Eleme, Emohua, Etche, Gokana, Ikwerre, Obio-Akpor, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Okrika, Omuma, Opobo/Nkoro, Oyigbo, Portharcourt and Tai.