Thesis submitted to the university of Zambia as a partial fulfilment for the award of master of medicine degree in obstetrics and gyneacology.

Includes bibliographic references.

Globally, 15 million babies are born preterm(37 weeks gestation) each year, and more than 1 million of those do not survive their first month of life. Preterm birth accounts for 75% of all perinatal mortality in some series. Causes of deaths and antecedent pregnancy and delivery factors are different in deaths of preterm and term neonates.