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Africa Holds Worst Rates for First-Day Baby Deaths, Report Says Africa Holds Worst Rates for First-Day Baby Deaths, Report Says
(35 minutes later)
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — More than one million babies a year die the day they are born, and the 14 countries with the highest rates of first-day deaths are all in Africa, according to a report released on Tuesday.NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — More than one million babies a year die the day they are born, and the 14 countries with the highest rates of first-day deaths are all in Africa, according to a report released on Tuesday.
The five countries with the highest rates of such deaths are Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic, according to the report Surviving the First Day from the aid group Save the Children. The five countries with the highest rates of such deaths are Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic, according to the report, “Surviving the First Day,” from the aid group Save the Children.
“Health care for mothers in sub-Saharan Africa is woefully insufficient,” the report said. “On average, only half the women in the region receive skilled care during birth. The region as a whole has only 11 doctors, nurses and midwives per 10,000 people, less than half the critical threshold of 23 generally considered necessary to deliver essential health services.”“Health care for mothers in sub-Saharan Africa is woefully insufficient,” the report said. “On average, only half the women in the region receive skilled care during birth. The region as a whole has only 11 doctors, nurses and midwives per 10,000 people, less than half the critical threshold of 23 generally considered necessary to deliver essential health services.”
The numbers in Somalia, a country racked by 20 years of violence with little established government and few health services, are particularly grim. Eighteen out of 1,000 babies die there the day they are born, the report said. Five percent of newborns die within the first month of life, and one in six do not live to age 5, it said. “What’s worse, Somalia has seen absolutely no improvement in newborn or child survival in at least two decades,” it said.The numbers in Somalia, a country racked by 20 years of violence with little established government and few health services, are particularly grim. Eighteen out of 1,000 babies die there the day they are born, the report said. Five percent of newborns die within the first month of life, and one in six do not live to age 5, it said. “What’s worse, Somalia has seen absolutely no improvement in newborn or child survival in at least two decades,” it said.
Somali women have on average more than six children, the second-highest fertility rate in the world.Somali women have on average more than six children, the second-highest fertility rate in the world.
Prebirth care for pregnant women is largely not available in Somalia, said Dr. Omar Saleh, a World Health Organization official who frequently travels to health facilities in rural Somalia.Prebirth care for pregnant women is largely not available in Somalia, said Dr. Omar Saleh, a World Health Organization official who frequently travels to health facilities in rural Somalia.
“And then the natal care itself, which is delivery, some of the obstructed labors are delayed due to the long distances to medical care or insecurity or high prices of transport,” Dr. Saleh said. “And then after delivery the main thing is the availability of incubators. And the whole science of neonatal care is a huge science that is not well developed in Somalia.”“And then the natal care itself, which is delivery, some of the obstructed labors are delayed due to the long distances to medical care or insecurity or high prices of transport,” Dr. Saleh said. “And then after delivery the main thing is the availability of incubators. And the whole science of neonatal care is a huge science that is not well developed in Somalia.”
The one positive: “Everybody is working on it,” he said. “The good thing is that everybody is aware.”The one positive: “Everybody is working on it,” he said. “The good thing is that everybody is aware.”
The country with the highest number of first-day deaths is India, which has more than 300,000 per year, the report said.The country with the highest number of first-day deaths is India, which has more than 300,000 per year, the report said.
Improvements in access to contraceptives, maternal nutrition and breast-feeding practices will save more lives, Melinda Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, wrote in a forward to the report.Improvements in access to contraceptives, maternal nutrition and breast-feeding practices will save more lives, Melinda Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, wrote in a forward to the report.
“Saving newborn lives will prevent incalculable suffering,” she wrote. “It is also a vital piece of the global development agenda. The long-term economic prospects of poor countries depend on investments in the health, nutrition and education of the people, particularly the women and young children living there.”“Saving newborn lives will prevent incalculable suffering,” she wrote. “It is also a vital piece of the global development agenda. The long-term economic prospects of poor countries depend on investments in the health, nutrition and education of the people, particularly the women and young children living there.”
Nearly all newborn deaths, 98 percent, occur in developing countries, a statistic that underlines a widening gap between the health of the world’s rich and poor, the report says.Nearly all newborn deaths, 98 percent, occur in developing countries, a statistic that underlines a widening gap between the health of the world’s rich and poor, the report says.
“A mother in sub-Saharan Africa, for example, is 30 times more likely than a mother in an industrialized country to lose a newborn baby at some point in her life,” the report concluded. “On average, one in six African mothers is likely to lose a newborn baby, a commonplace but largely untold tale of grief.”“A mother in sub-Saharan Africa, for example, is 30 times more likely than a mother in an industrialized country to lose a newborn baby at some point in her life,” the report concluded. “On average, one in six African mothers is likely to lose a newborn baby, a commonplace but largely untold tale of grief.”