The National Population Commission (NPC), on Wednesday, said that it had commence the 2019 Verbal and Social Autopsy (VASA) survey to determine the causes of death of children between the ages of 0 and five in Nigeria.
The Acting Chairman of the Commission, Mr Bimbola Salu- Hundeyin, made the disclosure at a press conference held in Ado-Ekiti.
Salu-Hundeyin, who was represented by the Acting Director of the commission in Ekiti state, Mr Samuel Adeyanju, explained that the survey, which had commenced on Oct. 19, would end on Dec. 18 across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.
According to him, the objectives of the survey include the provision of up-to-date information on early childhood mortality rate, estimation of the prevalence and determination of death of a live-born infant within the first 28 days of life.
He added that the survey would also provide detailed information on infant and under-five mortality, using the 2018 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) households.
The acting chairman also explained that the 2019 VASA survey would assist policy makers with reliable data to plan and formulate policies for the health sector in relation to maternal and child health in Nigeria.
He said that the result of the survey would provide national and zonal level estimates of the major causes of under-five mortality in Nigeria from 2013 to 2018.
Salu-Hundeyin urged government officials at the state and local government levels, security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders, community leaders and media practitioners to give necessary support for the exercise.
