Babies born in the world’s poorest countries, most of them in Africa, still face “alarming” risks of death that can be 50 times as high as those in the richest<\/p>\n
countries, according to a UNICEF report released on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
While the last quarter-century has seen broad improvements in older children’s health, “we have not made similar progress in ending deaths among children<\/p>\n
less than one month old,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF’s executive director. “Given that the majority of these deaths are preventable, clearly we are failing the<\/p>\n
worlds poorest babies.”<\/p>\n
The differences are stark. A baby born in Pakistan – the country with the worst newborn mortality rate -faced a one in 22 chance of death, while a newborn in<\/p>\n
Japan had only a one in 1,111 risk of dying, the report said. Of the 10 highest-risk countries, eight are in sub-Saharan Africa, countries where “pregnant women<\/p>\n
are much less likely to receive assistance,” due to poverty, conflict or weak institutions, according to the report.<\/p>\n
Those eight countries are the Central African Republic (a one in 24 chance of death); Somalia, Lesotho, Guinea-Bissau and South Sudan (all with a one in 26<\/p>\n
chance); Cote dIvoire (one in 27) and Mali and Chad (both with a one in 28 chance).<\/p>\n
Each year, some 2.6 million babies do not survive through their first month. The report was released in conjunction with the launch of a global campaign, called<\/p>\n
Every Child Alive, aimed at ensuring “affordable, quality health care solutions for every mother and newborn.”<\/p>\n
More than 80 per cent of newborn deaths can be prevented, the report says, “with access to well-trained midwives, along with proven solutions like clean water,<\/p>\n
disinfectants, breast-feeding within the first hour, skin-to-skin contact and good nutrition.”<\/p>\n
But shortages of properly trained health workers and midwives are a major problem in poorer nations. While a rich country like Norway has 18 doctors, nurses<\/p>\n
and midwives for every 10,000 people, impoverished Somalia has only one. Every year, one million babies die the day they are born. “We know we can save<\/p>\n
the vast majority of these babies with affordable, quality health care solutions,” Fore said.<\/p>\n
In general, babies born in richer countries fare far better, but there are differences within countries. Babies born to the poorest families are 40 per cent more<\/p>\n
likely to die than those born to the least poor. Sadly typical was the story of Mary James, an 18-year-old from rural Malawi.<\/p>\n
When her labour started, she and her sister made the long trek to a health center on foot. When her baby was delivered, he was small and terribly weak. She<\/p>\n
says an overstretched staff did its best, but by night the child was gone. “I felt like my heart was breaking,” James told UNICEF staff. “I had a name for the child<\/p>\n
but he never opened his eyes.” Since improvements to health care can be expensive, “it is crucial to invest the money in a smart way,” UNICEFs global<\/p>\n
maternity and newborn program chief Willibald Zeck said.<\/p>\n
That can mean something as simple as ensuring that a pregnant woman who has walked three days to a health care facility is received with “dignity,” so she<\/p>\n
remains long enough to receive proper postnatal care. But the dearth of expensive equipment matters. Zeck, who worked as an obstetrician\/gynecologist in<\/p>\n
Tanzania, said women were often unsure how pregnant they were, and he would have to use his hands to estimate whether a fetus was premature or seriously<\/p>\n
underweight.<\/p>\n
Still, among countries that have made dramatic improvements is low-income Rwanda, which more than halved its rate from 1990 to 2016, illustrating that<\/p>\n
“political will to invest in strong health systems… is critical,” the report said.<\/p>\n
Education matters, too. Babies born to mothers with no education face nearly twice the risk of early death as babies whose mothers have at least a secondary<\/p>\n
education. The United States generally affluent, but with considerable income inequality and wide variations in access to health care — was only the 41st safest<\/p>\n
country for newborns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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