Seasonal Variations in Under-5 Mortality in Kontagora Local Government: A Retrospective 11-Year Study

This paper discusses the seasonal variations in under-5 child mortality in Kontagora local government, Niger State. Child mortality in Nigeria is among the world’s highest with northern Nigeria having the most appalling under-5 health indicators. Despite the streams of publications and knowledge on determinants of under-5 mortality in Nigeria, the current trend in under-5 mortality in Nigeria does not justify the much available knowledge on the topic. The research is a hospital-based research from medical records and interview. Data collected spanned through 11 years (2010–2020). The chi-square result at 0.05 degree of freedom with calculated value of X2 (311.6) is greater than the X2 critical value (18.307). The null hypothesis is rejected and the alternative hypothesis upheld. There is a significant difference between under-5 child mortality by year. It is observed that most of the deaths occurred between the months of June and September with the highest mortality in September. Increased mortality during the wet and warm seasons also called “Damina” may be explained by our finding that the major causes of death such as bronchopneumonia, malaria, and diarrhea occur more frequently during wet season. It is recommended that sensitization programs to women, men, and community heads and improvement of other health intervention programs are required.