Secular trend of infant mortality rate during wars and sanctions in Western Iraq.

OBJECTIVES: To study the infant mortality rate (IMR) trend during wars and sanction periods in Western Iraq.

METHODS: Data collected from the birth and death certificates of Haditha Health Vital Statistics Center, Haditha city (80,000 population), Western Iraq, included name, age, gender, residence, and infant's place and date of births and deaths, in 5 different sanction and war stages of the country from 1987 to 2010, in a study period from July to December, 2010. The IMRs were analyzed and compared between these stages and with other studies.

RESULTS: The IMR of last 2 years of the Iraq-Iran war (1980-1988) was 35.6/1000 and 33.8/1000, this decreased in the war free period (1989-1990) to 28.6/1000, then increased during the sanction period (1991-2003) to 46/1000 in 2002, decreased to 16/1000 in 2006 during no sanctions but increased violence, then increased to 24.5/1000 in 2010. Approximately two-thirds of deaths occurred during the neonatal period, and one third in the post neonatal periods. Males had higher IMR than females, and rural residence higher than urban.

CONCLUSIONS: Economic sanctions increased IMR more than wars or violence in Haditha city. When compared with other parts of Iraq, and despite the different conflicts that faced the country during the 24 studied years, Haditha had a lower IMR, however, this was still higher than developed, and many developing countries.