As infant and child mortality declines in many developing countries, neonatal mortality becomes the dominant component of all child mortality, now constituting about 40% of child deaths. As attention is focused on this problem, it is becoming clear that, in the high mortality countries, neonatal mortality rates are being systematically underestimated, especially in the poorest, most marginalized communities. Data on the causes of neonatal deaths in the community are seriously inadequate, as deaths occur outside the health service, and post mortem questionnaires are very difficult to interpret in this age group.
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