Born Too Soon: Global Action Report on Preterm Birth

FACT: Preterm birth is on the rise
FACT: 15 million babies are born before 40 weeks gestation every year
FACT: 1.1 million of these babies will die
FACT: >75% of these deaths, are avoidable without intensive care facilities
FACT: Poorer families are at greater risk, world wide.

The new report 'Born Too Soon: Global Action Report on Preterm Birth' looks to address this.  Not Even a Bag of Sugar and Mummy Pink Wellies both address the report much better than I could, but in 2010 I spent 7 weeks in an African country, working on my medical elective within a hospital.  I spent time in the 'maternity' areas, and the paediatrics department.  Within this series I will draw on these experiences.

It really stands out in the report that it's not talking about ground breaking new developments, but introducing a level of care across the world, which is currently available to some mums and babies and not others.  The use of tocolytics (to slow labour), of corticosteroids (to strengthen babies lungs), and of good antenatal care.

The report looks further into the problem than just this though.  It is looking at the role of poverty, of gender equity and the improvement of maternal health.

It also states that, as I will discuss in a later post, sometimes it is the medical and nursing professionals failing to undertake the simple basic care, which fails the infant.