Uno Over 1 million preemies die each year

UN Report: More than one million premature babies die each year

04/05/2012

Every year around one million premature babies die worldwide. This is the conclusion of the United Nations (UN) first premature birth report. According to the report, there is an overall increase in premature births, both in developing and industrialized countries.

Every year, approximately 15 million children are born prematurely worldwide, and 1.1 million will not survive in the months to come, according to the latest report from the United Nations. „More than every tenth baby born in the world is born too soon“, said one of the main authors of the first premature infant report, the employee of Save the Children, Joy Lawn. According to the experts, around 75 percent of the associated deaths would be avoidable with the simplest countermeasures.

Global increase in premature birth
With the premature birth report will be the first time „Estimates for all areas of the world“ presented the South African epidemiologist Joy Lawn at the presentation of the report on Wednesday in London. In addition to the regional differences that were observed both in the rate of premature birth and in the chances of survival of premature babies worldwide, the report reveals an overall global increase in premature births. This trend can also be observed in a large part of the industrial nations. The highest rate of premature birth worldwide was noted by the authors of the report in Southeastern Africa's Malawi, where 18.1 percent of children were born too early. The lowest premature birth rate registered the researchers with 4.1 percent in Belarus. The report considered all births that took place before the 38th week of pregnancy.

In Germany more premature births than in some developing countries
Even in the modern industrialized nations such as the USA or Germany premature births are by no means uncommon, but sometimes more common than in certain developing countries. The US has a quota of 12 percent for premature births, putting it in 131st place in the premature birth report, with Belarus taking the lowest premature birth rate. Germany ranks 79th with 9.2%. Both the USA and Germany have more premature births than countries such as Suriname or Albania. The global increase in premature births is attributed to more than 100 researchers from 40 universities, aid organizations and UN institutions involved in the preterm report. In developed countries, the growing prevalence of ill health (obesity, high blood pressure), tobacco and alcohol use, and late motherhood are increasing the number of premature births, while in developing countries there are shortcomings in hygiene, lack of protection against infection and poor general medical knowledge and the poor medical care cause the increase in premature births.

Warm clothes and medications for premature babies
Since the causes of premature births in the industrialized nations are much more difficult to remedy than the problems mentioned in the developing countries, the authors of the premature birth report see special need for action here. While people in the US or Germany are extremely idle or not at all dissuaded from their eating habits, and late pregnancies are also a barely modifiable phenomenon, the chances of successful intervention in developing countries are much better. „That's where it's possible“, emphasized Joy Lawn. In their view, it would be comparatively easy to save the lives of many premature babies if only enough warm clothing and antibiotics were made available in the developing countries of Southeast Asia or Africa.

Premature births second leading cause of death in infants
Globally, premature delivery is the second leading cause of death in infants, said epidemiologist Joy Lawn. Only pneumonia causes even more infants to die. In the foreword to the Preterm report, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon explains that all newborns are vulnerable, „but premature babies in a very special way.“ Children born prematurely should therefore be given special care to increase their chances of survival. Even the simplest measures could help to prevent 75 percent of the 1.1 million premature babies who die each year from surviving, the authors of the report said. If the mothers were shown how they can keep their children warm with the so-called kangaroo-mother model while wearing them on the chest, the deaths could be significantly reduced, Joy Lawn continued. The same applies to a syringe, which is injected to the mothers before birth, to avoid lung problems in premature babies.

Different chances of survival of premature babies
The consequences of premature birth are very different depending on the state of medical care in the individual countries. Christopher Howson of the aid organization March of Dimes emphasized: „What happens to children born prematurely depends very much on where they are born.“ Here is one „dramatic gap“ between the developing and industrialized countries. Thus, children who were in the womb for over 25 weeks have a 50 percent chance of surviving in developed countries, while „Children who arrive in Africa or South Asia just eight weeks early (30th week of pregnancy) are at much greater risk of dying“, said epidemiologist Joy Lawn. According to the expert, the current report reveals for the first time „the global scale of the problem.“ (Fp)

Read about:
Small clinics are allowed to treat premature babies
Preemie with 28016351a2cc0b08c03important
Pain for premature babies with long episodes

Picture: N. Schmitz