Infant mortality in Central Europe : effects of transition

OBJECTIVE: To address the issue of infant mortality as an important health indicator, we systematically analyzed trends in infant mortality in five central and eastern European (CEE) countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia). METHODS: Infant mortality rates (per 1,000 live births) and trends were computed using the World Health Organization database, as well as selected European databases. RESULTS: In 1990, mortality rates in most CEE countries were appreciably higher than the mean European Union value of 9.2/1,000 (up to 14.8/1,000 in Hungary and 19.4/1,000 in Poland). However, between 1990 and 2001, infant mortality decreased substantially in all CEE countries, and in 2001 the rates in the Czech Republic (4.0/1,000) and Slovenia (4.3/1,000) were lower than the EU average of 4.6/1,000. DISCUSSION: Infant mortality is an important indicator of the improvements in health observed in CEE countries over the last decade.