Knowing the under-5 mortality rate is of limited value if you do not know why the children are dying, because the common causes of death during childhood vary greatly from one country to another.
The common causes of death need to be known before interventions can be planned to lower the mortality rate. It is very important that we learn why children die. This is done at a mortality review.
It is essential to identify the common causes of under-5 mortality in each country, as they are important in planning health care interventions.