India, Pakistan among top 5 countries with highest rate of preterm births: UN

India Pakistan Nigeria China and Ethiopia together accounted for 45 per cent of all babies born early before 37 weeks of pregnancy in 2020 according to a new report released by UN agencies and partners on WednesdayRaising alarm on a silent emergency of preterm birth the report showed that an estimated 134 million babies were born preterm in 2020 with nearly 1 million dying from preterm complicationsThis is equivalent to around 1 in 10 babies born early worldwideThe report Born too soon decade of action on preterm birth produced by the World Health Organization WHO and the Unicef together with PMNCH the worlds largest alliance for women children and adolescents highlights long underrecognised problem of preterm birth in its scale and severity which is impeding progress in improving childrens health and survivalOverall it found that preterm birth rates have not changed in any region in the world in the past decade with 152 million vulnerable babies born too soon from 2010 to 2020In 2020 Bangladesh had the highest estimated preterm birth rate 162 per cent followed by Malawi 145 per cent and Pakistan 144 per cent India 13 per cent and South Africa 13 per cent Rates were also high in highincome countries such as Greece 116 per cent and the US 100 per centSouthern Asia and subSaharan Africa have the highest rates of preterm birth and preterm babies in these regions face the highest mortality riskTogether these two regions account for more than 65 per cent of preterm births globallyEnsuring 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 said Anshu Banerjee Director for Maternal Newborn Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing at WHO in a statementFurther the report said that preterm birth is now the leading cause of child deaths accounting for more than one in five of all deaths of children occurring before their fifth birthdayPreterm survivors can face lifelong health consequences with an increased likelihood of disability and developmental delaysMaternal health risks such as adolescent pregnancy and preeclampsia are also closely linked to preterm birthsGaping inequalities related to race ethnicity income and access to quality care determine the likelihood of preterm birth death and disability even in highincome countriesIn addition the impacts of conflict climate change and environmental damage Covid19 and rising living costs are increasing risks for women and babies everywhere For example air pollution is estimated to contribute to six million preterm births each yearAfter 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 said Steven Lauwerier Director of Health Unicef in the statementThe toll is devastating Its time we improve access to care for pregnant mothers and preterm infants and ensure every child gets a healthy start and thrives in life he addedAlso Read What is Vaginismus Meghan Trainor opens up about discomfort during coitusThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever