This first "note" of the Health and Social Observatory presents the evolution of fetal and infant mortality in Brussels births from 2000 to 2010. It clarifies the different definitions of birth used in Belgium for Euro-PERISTAT and the World Health Organization and discusses their impact on the figures.

The number of births in Brussels is increasing year by year and amounted to 19,371 births in 2010. Fetal and infant mortality decreased. Among the Brussels births in 2010, the infant mortality rate was 2.8 deaths per thousand live births.

The stillbirth rate increased sharply in 2008 due to improved reporting of fetuses born before 26 weeks of pregnancy, from 4.8 deaths per thousand total births between 2004 and 2007 to 7.4 deaths per thousand total births between 2008 and 2010. But the rate remained stable at 3.8 stillbirths per thousand total births from 2004 to 2010 if one considers only the birth of a gestation period of at least 28 weeks.

Given the many methodological variations between countries and even between regions, it is difficult to compare the mortality rates of births occurring before 28 weeks of gestation.

Please cite this publication as follows: 
Brussels-Capital Health and Social Observatory, Evolution of
fetal and infant mortality in the Brussels Region, 2000 - 2010, notes of the 
Observatory - 1 -  Joint Community Commission, Brussels, 2013

Keywords: 
Perinatal health, Brussels, Belgium / epidemiology, Perinatal mortality, Europe, 
Urban health, Fetal death, Infant, Premature, Mortality, Definition of Birth