WUNRN
Full Article: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=49354#.VGo2U3l0xMs
17 November 2014 – Marking the fourth World Prematurity
Day, the United Nations has underscored that the complications of preterm birth
outrank all other causes as the world’s number one killer of young children.
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World Health Organization – WHO
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs363/en/
PRETERM BIRTH
Fact Sheet N°363
- Updated November 2014
Key facts
Overview
Preterm is
defined as babies born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed. There
are sub-categories of preterm birth, based on gestational age:
Induction or
caesarean birth should not be planned before 39 completed weeks unless
medically indicated.
The problem
An estimated 15
million babies are born too early every year. That is more than 1 in 10 babies.
Almost 1 million children die each year due to complications of preterm birth.
Many survivors face a lifetime of disability, including learning disabilities
and visual and hearing problems.
Globally,
prematurity is the leading cause of death in children under the age of 5. And
in almost all countries with reliable data, preterm birth rates are increasing.
Inequalities in
survival rates around the world are stark. In low-income settings, half of the
babies born at 32 weeks (two months early) die due to a lack of feasible,
cost-effective care, such as warmth, breastfeeding support, and basic care for
infections and breathing difficulties. In high-income countries, almost all of
these babies survive.
The solution
More than
three-quarters of premature babies can be saved with feasible, cost-effective
care, e.g. essential care during child birth and in the postnatal period for
every mother and baby, antenatal steroid injections (given to pregnant women at
risk of preterm labour and meeting set criteria to strengthen the babies’
lungs), kangaroo mother care (the baby is carried by the mother with
skin-to-skin contact and frequent breastfeeding) and antibiotics to treat
newborn infections.
To reduce
preterm birth rates, women need better access to family planning and increased
empowerment, as well as improved care before, between and during pregnancies.
Why does preterm
birth happen?
Preterm birth
occurs for a variety of reasons. Most preterm births happen spontaneously, but
some are due to early induction of labour or caesarean birth, whether for
medical or non-medical reasons.
Common causes of
preterm birth include multiple pregnancies, infections and chronic conditions,
such as diabetes and high blood pressure; however, often no cause is
identified. There is also a genetic influence. Better understanding of the
causes and mechanisms will advance the development of solutions to prevent
preterm birth.
Where and when
does preterm birth happen?
More than 60% of
preterm births occur in Africa and South Asia, but preterm birth is truly a
global problem. In the lower-income countries, on average, 12% of babies are
born too early compared with 9% in higher-income countries. Within countries,
poorer families are at higher risk.
The 10 countries
with the greatest number of preterm births1:
The 10 countries
with the highest rates of preterm birth per 100 live births:
Of 65 countries
with reliable trend data, all but 3 show an increase in preterm birth rates
over the past 20 years. Possible reasons for this include better measurement,
increases in maternal age and underlying maternal health problems such as
diabetes and high blood pressure, greater use of infertility treatments leading
to increased rates of multiple pregnancies, and changes in obstetric practices
such as more caesarean births before term.
There is a
dramatic difference in survival of premature babies depending on where they are
born. For example, more than 90% of extremely preterm babies (<28 weeks)
born in low-income countries die within the first few days of life; yet less
than 10% of babies of this gestation die in high-income settings.
WHO response
In 2012, WHO and
partners published a report "Born too soon: the global action report on
preterm birth" that included the first-ever estimates of preterm birth by
country.
WHO is committed
to reducing the health problems and lives lost as a result of preterm birth
with the following specific actions: