[Mortality caused by pneumonia in children under 5 years of age in a locality of the State of Minas Gerais (Brazil), 1979-1985]. / Mortalidade por pneumonia em crianças menores de cinco anos de idade em localidade do estado de minas gerais (Brasil), 1979-1985.

Death rates due to pneumonia in children under five years old in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, during the period from 1979 to 1985, were studied on the basis of official reports and death certificates. The data show that mortality was 35 times higher in Belo Horizonte than in developed countries in 1979. The annual reduction in the death rate in Belo Horizonte over the same period was two-thirds of that observed in the developed countries. The death rate was higher among children from lower-income families and those living in poor areas of the city, at least during 1985, but the difference was not statistically significant (Z = 1.2, p less than 0.05).