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# Post-mortem investigation traces nearly four in five stillbirths to asphyxia or hypoxia
- URL: https://www.coios.me/laboratory-confirmed-causes-of-stillbirth-and-child-death-in/
- Published: 2026-09-11T00:48:05.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-11T02:03:35.000Z
- Description: Investigation of 8,500 stillbirths and child deaths in seven high-mortality countries, using minimally invasive tissue sampling, laboratory testing and verbal autopsy, attributed 79.1% of stillbirths to perinatal asphyxia or hypoxia.
- Author: Daniel Ryan
- Tags: Medical, Healthcare today, Power of data, How deaths are counted and attributed, and how much the method changes the answer, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, South Africa, #agency, #refines, #item

The Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance network investigated 8,500 deaths among stillbirths and children under five in seven high-mortality countries using minimally invasive tissue sampling, laboratory testing, and verbal autopsy. Stillbirths were predominantly attributed to perinatal asphyxia or hypoxia (79.1%), frequently with maternal hypertensive disorders, placental abnormalities, and chorioamnionitis. The findings demonstrate how laboratory confirmation and standardised investigation methods identify specific preventable causes that conventional vital registration and verbal autopsy alone cannot capture.

*Why it is interesting: Reveals how cause-of-death methodology changes attribution patterns and precision in high-mortality settings where most child deaths occur.*

Source

[Morbidity and mortality weekly report. Surveillance summaries (Washington, D.C. : 2002), 2026-09-10](https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.ss7506a1?ref=coios.me)

DOI

10.15585/mmwr.ss7506a1

Type

Agency report

Design

Population-based surveillance with laboratory confirmation, seven countries, 2016-2024, n=8,500 deaths investigated

Verdict

Refines prior evidence

Development

[How deaths are counted and attributed, and how much the method changes the answer](https://www.coios.me/d-counting-deaths/)