Simple Interventions Could Prevent Three Million Newborn Deaths Annually, Studies Say

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 08 Mar 2005 - 4:00 PDT

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About three million of the four million annual newborn deaths worldwide could be prevented with "simple improvements" in basic health care and childbirth procedures, according to a four-part series of studies published last week in the journal Lancet, the Boston Globe reports (Mishra, Boston Globe, 3/4). The main causes of death among newborns include premature delivery, infection, diarrhea and suffocation, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports. These problems could be overcome by low-cost, low-tech interventions, such as providing tetanus shots and antibiotics, encouraging breastfeeding, having sanitary conditions during delivery and improving access to basic hospital emergency services. Experts say that another "major factor" that would help reduce infant mortality is the availability of skilled help, often a trained midwife, during delivery, according to the AP/Sun. The research, which was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID, was conducted by scientists from several countries and experts from the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the World Bank (Ross, AP/Las Vegas Sun, 3/3). The researchers said that, in addition to the $2 billion currently spent annually on newborn health interventions, another $4.1 billion would be needed to provide simple health care for 90% of the women and children at risk in the 75 countries with the highest mortality rates, Reuters reports. "Early success in preventing neonatal deaths is possible ... by improving home care practices, raising demand for skilled care and increasing care-seeking for illnesses through outreach services and a family-community care package," Dr. Gary Darmstadt, a study author and associate professor of international health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said. "The plight of newborns is not just a medical issue, it is also a moral barometer of our times, a measure of our values and our feelings for others," Lancet editor Richard Horton said (Reaney, Reuters, 3/3).

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