2023-05-10 15:08:37
In 2020, an estimated 13.4 million babies were born prematurely and nearly 1 million died from complications of preterm birth. This equates to about 1 in 10 babies born prematurely (before 37 weeks of pregnancy). This is what emerges from the new report “Born Too Soon: A Decade of Action on Preterm Birth“, published today by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Partnership for maternal, newborn & child health (PMNCH), the alliance for the health and well-being of women, The report therefore raises the alarm on the ‘silent emergency’ of premature birth, long underestimated in its extent and seriousness – reads a note – and notes that the rates of premature births have not changed in any region of the world over the last decade, with 152 million vulnerable children born too soon between 2010 and 2020.
Premature birth – recall the three organizations – is today the leading cause of death among children, being responsible for over 1 in 5 of all child deaths before their fifth birthday. Babies born prematurely can have lifelong health consequences, with an increased likelihood of disabilities and developmental delays. And again – denounces the report – too often, the place where babies are born determines their survival: only 1 extremely premature newborn (<28 weeks) in 10 survives in low-income countries, compared to more than 9 out of 10 in high-income. The huge inequalities related to ethnicity, income and access to quality care determine the likelihood of preterm birth, death and disability, even in high-income countries.
The report also points out that the impacts of conflicts, climate change and environmental damage, Covid-19 and the rising cost of living the risks to women and children everywhere are increasing. For example, air pollution is estimated to contribute to 6 million premature births each year. Nearly 1 in 10 premature babies is born in the 10 most fragile countries hit by humanitarian crises, according to new analysis in the report.
The risks to maternal health, such as teenage pregnancy and preeclampsia, are closely related to premature births. This underlines the need to ensure access to sexual and reproductive health services, including effective family planning, with high-quality care during pregnancy and at the time of delivery.
In the last decade – underline Unicef, WHO and Pmnch – there has also been a growth in community activism for the prevention of premature births and stillbirths, led by networks of parents, health professionals, academia, civil society and other. Around the world, groups of families affected by preterm births have been at the forefront of advocating access to better care and policy change, and supporting other families.
On the occasion of International conference on maternal and newborn health, held in Cape Town, South Africa, until 11 May, the organizations therefore call for: increased investment, mobilizing international and national resources to optimize maternal and newborn health, ensuring high quality care when and where it is needed; achieve national progress goals through the implementation of established national policies for maternal and newborn care; promote education throughout the life cycle; support smarter economic investment, with co-financing across sectors; strengthen responses to climate adaptation across the life cycle; improve the coordination and resilience of emergency systems and invest in innovation and research at the local level to support improvements in the quality of care and equity of access.
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