Infant mortality has declined in recent years, but newborns are not benefiting enough from this improvement. Globally, another 2.9 million babies die each year in their first 28 days of life. According to Unicef, newborn deaths account for 44% of total mortality in children under five.
The Every newborn series of the medical journal The Lancet produced by UNICEF, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Aga Khan University in Pakistan specifies the scale of the challenge to be met: putting a stop to preventable deaths of newborns. “The majority of the nearly 3 million children who die before the age of one month could be saved if they received quality care at the time of birth – and if there was a focus on groups the most excluded and the most vulnerable “, explains Unicef.
The study cites a few examples of possible interventions in the field: breastfeeding, resuscitation of newborns, maternal “kangaroo” care for premature babies (prolonged contact between the baby’s skin and that of the mother) and prevention and treatment of infections.
Every dollar invested in baby’s or mother’s health yields nine times as much in social and economic benefits in countries most affected by newborn deaths like India, Nigeria and Pakistan.
The 194 member states of WHO must commit to an action plan next June to fight against these newborn deaths.