Surveillance and avoidability of infant death in a capital of the extreme southern Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: Analyzing infant mortality data may show changes in the epidemiological profile of the population of a municipality and the complex combination of biological, socioeconomic and assistance factors present in infant death. Objective: To present the process of surveillance of infant death, after the creation of the Committee for the Prevention of Late Fetal and Infant Mortality (CMI) in Porto Alegre / RS, with a view to preventing death. Methodology: Retrospective study with a descriptive quantitative approach about infant mortality in the city. The research took place with the Municipal Health Secretariat of Porto Alegre (SMSPA), through the VITAIS - Health Analyzes tool of the SMSPA's General Health Surveillance Coordination and the systematic observation of the IMC monthly meetings. Results: From 2001 to 2019, the highest occurrence of deaths was in 2001, with a decrease of 64.86% in the period from 2001 to 2010 and of 75.00% in the period from 2011 to 2019. The proportion of neonatal deaths in relation to the total number of deaths among children under 1 year of age was 61.15%, with the main cause of diseases originating in the perinatal period. Deaths considered preventable are reducible by appropriate actions for diagnosis, treatment and health promotion. Conclusions: Infant mortality is linked to preventable causes, being potentially preventable with the resources currently available. Knowing the factors involved in the infant death event contributes to the improvement in the organization of the municipal maternal and child health care system and to the reduction of preventable deaths in children.