Infant And Under-Five Mortality In India: Levels, Patterns And Correlates

General economic growth (resulting in higher living standards), improved infrastructure, and greater child immunization coverage will be essential in lowering infant and under-five mortality rates in the country. However, these general policies will not be enough. Special attention will need to be paid to the 18 problem of significantly higher mortality risk among higher birth order children, especially girls. It is worrisome that this group remains at significant risk of mortality even with the presence of a literate mother. The results with respect to the geographic concentration of infant deaths also indicate the importance of targeting mortality-reducing interventions to the states, districts and villages having the highest rates of infant mortality and the slowest rates of mortality decline.