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Background: Globally, infectious diseases, including pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria, along with pre-term birth complications, birth asphyxia and trauma, and congenital anomalies remain the leading causes of death for under-five mortality (U5M). This study aimed to identify the geospatial pattern of U5M in Alexandria and its key determinants. Methodology: We analyzed the geospatial distribution of 3064 deaths registered at 24 health offices reported from January 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019. We adopted two methods of analysis: geospatial analysis and the structural equation model (SEM). Result: Neonates represented 58.7% of U5M, while post-neonates and children were 31.1%, 10.2%respectively. Male deaths were significantly higher compared to females (P= 0.036). The main leading causes of U5M were prematurity (28.32%), pneumonia (11.01%), cardiac arrest (10.57%), congenital malformation (9.95%), and childhood cardiovascular diseases (9.20%). The spatial distribution of U5M (including the most common three causes) tends to be clustered in western parts of Alexandria (El Hawaria, Bahig, Hamlis, and Ketaa Maryiut). SEM showed the total effects of exogenous and intermediate variables on U5M. The U5M proportionately increased by living in rural areas (8.48), followed by crowding rate (8.35), household size (1.36), population size (0.52), and illiteracy average (0.06). On the contrary, the U5M decreased with increasing access to sanitation (-0.17) and access to drinking water (-4.55). Conclusion: Illiteracy, and poor locality characteristics (household size, population density, and access to water supply and sanitation) were statistically significant predictors of U5M.

Biliary atresia (BA) is a rare disease characterized by ascending obstruction of bile ducts that exclusively affects newborn infants. The etiology of the disease is not known. BA is considered to be a phenotype resulting from several pathogenic processes leading to obstruction of the biliary tree. It usually presents shortly after birth, characterized by persistent jaundice, hepatosplenomegaly, clay-colored stool, and dark urine. It affects both the extra-hepatic biliary ducts (EHBDs) and the intra-hepatic biliary system (IHBDs), but the former is more severely affected. Diagnosis of BA is a great challenge and must be achieved as early as possible to delay progression to cirrhosis. Laboratory tests reveal direct hyperbilirubinemia and, variable levels of transaminases, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), which overlap significantly with other causes of neonatal cholestasis. The intraoperative cholangiogram is considered the gold standard for the diagnosis of BA and is performed routinely in many institutions. BA can be divided into correctable and non-correctable types; the former accounts for (10–15%) of cases, in which the proximal common hepatic duct is patent, allowing primary anastomosis of the EHBDs to the bowel. All patients are subjected to identical surgical and medical treatments; consisting of Kasai portoenterostomy (KPE), which entails removal of the atretic extra-hepatic tissue and a Roux-en-Y jejunal loop anastomosed to the hepatic hilum. Kasai portoenterstomy is considered a transition to liver transplantation, as the pathology may be still ongoing. BA is the most frequent indication for liver transplantation in infants, which is the only treatment that can definitively arrest the natural disease course. In conclusion: BA is a serious liver disease that needs to be further studied, and awareness of BA should be increased among the public and health care workers to prevent the complications of this disease.