Child health in Singapore--past, present and future.

The state of child health in Singapore from 1914 to the present is chronicled. In 1914, there were 225 reported cases of tetanus neonatorum out of 7,420 births and 340 deaths from gastroenteritis with an infant mortality rate (IMR) of 292.9 per 1000 livebirths. In 1936 the infant mortality rate was 167.74, and in 1962, it was still high at 31.2, a figure which exceeded the IMR of USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand. However, by 1976, the IMR had fallen to 11.8 which was lower than that of the above countries and the neonatal mortality rate (NMR) was 8.4 which was also lower than the other four developed countries. In 1981, the IMR fell further still to 10.8 and the NMR was 7.7. The causes of the improvement of child health in Singapore are discussed, and the prospects and priorities for the future are described.