2023-05-11 06:19:47
Published on :
Thirteen million babies were born prematurely in the world in 2020, or one in 10 babies, alarmed UNICEF and WHO in a joint report published on May 10. Prematurity is today the first cause of mortality of children under 5 years old. And in the past 10 years, there has been no noticeable progress in any part of the world, the report points out.
In 2020, one million newborns died from complications related to premature birth, that is to say before 37 weeks of amenorrhea, or eight months of pregnancy; of those who survive, millions are disabled.
South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are the regions most affected. Bangladesh, Malawi, Pakistan, India and South Africa have the highest preterm birth rates, between 13 and 16% of births. Some rich countries such as Greece and the United States have high rates, around 10%.
► To listen also: Women’s Matters: Preventing Prematurity
Inequalities persist
In high-income countries, 90% of very premature infants born before 6 months of pregnancy survive; this ratio is only 10% in poor countries. Moreover, even in rich countries, origin, income level and access to care influence the risk of premature birth, death and disability.
Another downside: there has been no real progress in the past ten years, and the Covid pandemic has made matters worse, putting a little more pressure on health systems.
Finally, the report highlights the impact of air pollution: it is believed to be the cause of 6 million premature births each year.
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