A new report by United Nations (UN) agencies and partners has revealed that about 152 million babies were born preterm in the last 10 years.
The report released by the Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) says an estimated 13.4 million babies were born pre-term in 2020, with nearly 1 million dying from preterm complications.
PMNCH says the report is titled: “Born too soon: decade of action on preterm birth” and produced by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) together with PMNCH.
Executive Director, PMNCH Helga Fogstad stated, “Born too soon underlines why we must increase investment and accountability for preterm birth the world’s largest cause of death of children under the age of five.
“Progress is flat lining for maternal and newborn health, as well as the prevention of stillbirths, and is now pushed back further through the devastating combination of COVID-19, climate change, expanding conflicts and rising living costs.”
The report also added that this is an equivalent to around 1 in 10 babies born early, before 37 weeks of pregnancy worldwide.
The report says of every 10 babies born, 1 is preterm and every 40 seconds, 1 of those babies dies.
Director for Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing at WHO, Dr Anshu Banerjee said, “Ensuring quality care for these tiniest, most vulnerable babies and their families is absolutely imperative for improving child health and survival. Progress is also needed to help prevent preterm births this means every woman must be able to access quality health services before and during pregnancy to identify and manage risks.”
Steven Lauwerier, Director of Health (a.i.), UNICEF said, “After every preterm death is a trail of loss and heartbreak. Despite the many advances the world has made in the past decade, we have made no progress in reducing the number of small babies born too soon or averting the risk of their death. The toll is devastating. It’s time we improve access to care for pregnant mothers and preterm infants and ensure every child gets a healthy start and thrives in life.”
