Premature births are the leading cause of infant death worldwide

Premature births are the leading cause of infant mortality in the world and sub-Saharan Africa is the region where the most deaths occur, along with Central and South Asia, reveals a report by from and the UNICEF.

Although the situation is worse in the two regions mentioned, the The rate of premature birth has not changed in any region of the world from 2010 to 2020with 152 million children exposed to “premature birth”, as revealed by the report issued by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The latest data from 2020 show it 4.5 million deaths occurred Combines maternal mortality, fetal mortality, and neonatal mortality with Five African countries are in the top 10 list with the most iterations.

Nigeria (540,000 deaths) ranks second in the list, followed by India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (241,000) fourth, Ethiopia (196,000) fifth, and Tanzania (94,000) ranked tenth. List of these ten countries Which together account for 60% of all maternal deaths, stillbirths and births in the world and 51% of live births.

The likelihood of premature births and the risk of death

to Inequalities related to race, ethnicity, and access to quality care Determine the probability of premature birth and the risk of infant and maternal mortality, even in high-income countries, and show updated WHO and UNICEF estimates based on the report, which were jointly developed with College of Health and Tropical Medicine.

For example, One in 10 babies is born prematurely in the 10 most fragile countries Affected by humanitarian crises, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which leads Sudan, Somalia, Chad, South Sudan and the Central African Republic, according to the analysis of the data collected for this work.

Antenatal care, skilled birth attendants and postpartum care for mothers and newborns Indicators are factored into the report, with sub-Saharan Africa once again emerging as the region facing the greatest risks.

If all regions of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, set by the United Nations) show “slight improvement in increasing coverage of at least four prenatal observations,” two regions remain “well below the global target” (90%) even by 2025.Sub-Saharan Africa is the lowest (by 54%),” the report reads.

In another indicator, skilled birth attendance, coverage has improved in all regions since 2010, but “estimates for 2022 and projections for 2025 indicate that Sub-Saharan Africa will not reach the 90% target.”

we too Postpartum careThe World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) concluded that sub-Saharan Africa is the region of the world that “falls short of the target (59%) and is not expected to reach the global target by 2025.”

At the global level, the report also highlights this The effects of conflicts, climate change, environmental damage, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the high cost of living Increase risks for women and children.

For example, “It is estimated that the file Air pollution contributes to six million premature births annuallyRefers to those responsible for data analysis.

The report was released under International Conference on Maternal Neonatal Healthwhich takes place in Cape Town, South Africa, from May 8-11, at which the World Health Organization, UNICEF and other organizations are calling for Concrete actions to improve care for women and newborns and reduce the risk of premature birth.