Premature births are the leading cause of infant mortality

The premature birthss are currently the main cause of Child mortality and are behind one in five deaths that occurred before the fifth year of life, according to data released today by the World Health Organization (WHO) based on a report prepared together with other entities that work in favor of women and children.

According to the most recent estimates, rates of preterm birth (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) have not changed in any region of the world in the last decade, with 13.4 million babies born preterm in the world in 2020 ( last year with complete and reliable figures).

Of them, almost a million died from complications, which represents one in ten premature babies, but the tragic figure is concentrated in poor countries, where only one in ten survives, while in a rich country the rate is reversed at nine out of ten.

According to the report, this “is preventing progress in improving the health and survival of children”that even if they make it through the critical moment of a preterm birth, they can suffer lifelong consequences, including an increased probability of disability and developmental delays.

What is clear from the data is that “Where babies are born determines if they survive” and this not only between countries, but between areas within the same country, unequal for reasons of race, ethnicity, income or access to quality health care.

Premature births are also a risk for mothers, with teenage pregnancy and pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure in pregnant women) being the main factors, although environmental damage is increasingly playing a role, as are the effects of conflict and the rising cost of living.

The report has been published coinciding with the celebration in Cape Town (South Africa) of an international conference dedicated to maternal and newborn health.

Source: EFE