Ten low-cost measures during pregnancy and childbirth can prevent the death of almost a million babies in 81 developing countries, with an estimated cost of 1,000 million euros in 2030.
In addition, 5.2 million babies could be prevented from being born prematurely or too small and with low weight for gestational age, known as small and vulnerable newborns, according to four articles published today by The Lancet.
Studies indicate that 566,000 stillbirths could be prevented, as well as the death of 476,000 cases due to neonatal death (up to 28 days after delivery).
Eight of the proposed interventions are: multi-micronutrient supplementation; balanced protein energy supplements; aspirin; syphilis treatment; smoking cessation education; malaria prevention during pregnancy; treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria and administration of vaginal progesterone.
The other two measures have shown efficacy in reducing the complications of preterm birth: prenatal administration of corticosteroids and delayed clamping of the umbilical cord.
The new studies are part of a series published by The Lancet on small and vulnerable newborns.
Of the 135 million babies born alive in 2020, one in four (35.3 million) falls into this category.
A newborn is small and vulnerable when born too early (before the full 37th week of gestation), too small, and/or underweight (2,500 grams).
These three vulnerabilities represent 55.3% of all neonatal deaths.
Babies with these characteristics were born in all countries, but the majority were in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, says the scientific publication, quoted by the Efe news agency.
The authors emphasized that, across all regions, progress in reducing prematurity and low birth weight is flat-line and misplaced.
The Global Nutrition Goal calls for a 30% reduction in low birth weight babies by 2030 compared to the 2012 baseline, but the estimated annual reduction rate is only 0.59%.
In a global call to action, scientists advocate for better care for women during pregnancy and childbirth, and specifically for scaling up cited interventions during pregnancy in 81 low- and middle-income countries.
Estimates indicate that approximately 32% of stillbirths could be prevented in this way, 20% of newborn deaths and 18% of all births to vulnerable infants in these countries, indicates The Lancet.
Furthermore, with more than 80% of births taking place in health facilities, the authors emphasize that there is already room for improvement in data collection and use.
In this way, it is guaranteed that each pregnancy is dated with the exact gestational age and that all newborns -as well as stillbirths- are weighed and classified by type of vulnerability.
In addition to helping ensure good-quality care, studies indicate that better data collection is essential for reporting progress and building accountability.
Counting stillbirths is important for achieving full accountability, as new analyzes show that 74% of stillbirths were born prematurely in a subset of countries.
Lead author of the paper series, Per Ashorn, from the University of Tampere, Finland, noted that despite various global commitments and targets aimed at reducing outcomes since 1990, ‘one in four babies in the world’ is born too small’ or ‘born too soon’.
Ashorn added that the new studies suggest that knowledge is now available to reverse the current trend.
“We need national actors, with global partners, to urgently prioritize action, defend it and invest in it,” he stressed.
Source: TSF
