Background: Sub-Saharan Africa still has the highest child Mortality rates in the world. Global child mortality has dropped by 53% - from 12.7 million in 1990 to 5.9 million in 2015. South Africa has reduced its child mortality rate from 60 deaths per 1000 live births in 1990 to 41 in 2015. Though the MDG target is 20.

Objective: To find out the Infant Mortality due to Meconium Aspiration Syndrome, and how much it contributes in Child Mortality where Home delivery & HIV/AIDS are predominant.

Methods:

Study done in Stanger Provincial Hospital, Durban, South Africa

- Time Period- 2011 to 2013.

- 500 newborns having Meconium Aspiration were closely studied in the NICU and the Neonatal ward.

- Most of the NICU-admitted babies' mothers were HIV positive.

• Our Study is to find if HIV positive mothers' babies are more prone to Meconium Aspiration? 

• As in our NICU and Neonatal ward patients’ mothers,80% of them are HIV positive

• They were already on ARV or newly on ARV.

• Some of the mothers were diagnosed in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy.

Our study was overserved & put on consideration of the following criteria – Detection of Prematurity and Fetal gasping secondary to hypoxia, inadequate removal of meconium from the airway prior to the first breath, 

Results: The possibility of inhaling meconium occurs in and around 10% of all births. Out of this 1-3% cause MAS. Its generally happens after 34 to 42weeks of gestation.30% of them needs ventilation. In the industrialized world, meconium in the amniotic fluid can be detected in 8-25% of all births after 34 weeks' gestation. Of those newborns with meconium-stained amniotic fluid, approximately 10-15% develop meconium aspiration syndrome.

Conclusion: Our study concludes in HIV/AIDS and TB predominant developing countries with less availability of prenatal care and where home births are common, the incidence of meconium aspiration syndrome is thought to be higher than, and is associated with a greater infant mortality rate.

TBA