World is failing newborn babies, says UNICEF

UNICEF launched a worldwide campaign “Every Child Alive” on Tuesday, to demand and deliver solutions on behalf of the world’s newborns, along with a new report on newborn mortality.

Situation in Nigeria is improving but progress is very slow

Abuja, 20 February 2018 – Global deaths of newborn babies remain alarmingly high, particularly among the world’s poorest countries, UNICEF said today in a new report on newborn mortality. Every year, 2.6 million newborns around the world do not survive their first month of life. One million of them die the day they are born.

Globally, in low-income countries, the average newborn mortality rate is 27 deaths per 1,000 births, the report says. In high-income countries, that rate is 3 deaths per 1,000.

“While we have more than halved the number of deaths among children under the age of five in the last quarter century, we have not made similar progress in ending deaths among children less than one month old,” said Henrietta H. Fore, UNICEF’s Executive Director. “Given that the majority of these deaths are preventable, clearly, we are failing the world’s poorest babies.”

The report notes that 8 of the 10 most dangerous places to be born are in sub-Saharan Africa, where pregnant women are much less likely to receive assistance during delivery due to poverty, conflict and weak institutions. With the newborn mortality rate of 29 deaths per 1,000 births, the global estimates rank Nigeria as the 11th highest on newborn deaths.

In the recent Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) conducted by the Government of Nigeria in 2016/17, the rate of newborn deaths per 1000 births is 37. This national average hides the differences between the 36 states and the slow progress in some of them.

“A fair chance in life begins with a strong, healthy start. Unfortunately, many children in Nigeria are still deprived of this,” said Mohamed M Fall, UNICEF Nigeria’s Representative. “MICS data tells us that the trend is improving but urgent action needs to be taken for Nigeria to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. It cannot afford to fail its newborns today.”

More than 80 per cent of newborn deaths are due to prematurity, asphyxia, complications during birth or infections such as pneumonia and sepsis. These deaths can be prevented with access to well-trained midwives during antenatal and postnatal visits as well as delivery at a health facility, along with proven solutions like clean water, disinfectants, breastfeeding within the first hour, skin-to-skin contact, proper cord care, and good nutrition. However, a shortage of well-trained health workers and midwives means that thousands don’t receive the life-saving support they need to survive.

According to the Nepal’s Demographic Health Survey 2016, one in 48 babies die in their first 28 days of life in the country, making up to 13,000 newborn deaths every year in Nepal.

The UNICEF Nepal said in a statement that in low-income countries, the average newborn mortality rate is 27 deaths per 1,000 births.

Newborns from the most risky places are up to 50 times more likely to die than those from the safest places.

However, a shortage of well-trained health workers and midwives means that thousands do not receive the life-saving support they need to survive.

While in Norway there are 218 doctors, nurses and midwives to serve 10,000 people, that ratio is 2.3 per 10,000 in Nepal, as per the report.

Through the new campaign, UNICEF is issuing an urgent appeal to governments, health care providers, donors, the private sector, families and businesses to keep every child alive.

According to UNICEF Nepal, the campaign will complement the Nepali government’s commitments and efforts to reduce newborn deaths and stillbirths through its 20-year Every Newborn Action Plan launched in 2016.

The Nepali government aims to reduce newborn mortality to below 11 deaths per 1,000 live births and a stillbirth rate of less than 13 per 1,000 total births by 2035 from the current rates of 23 and 18.4 respectively. 

 According to the report, 80 per cent of newborn deaths are due to premature complications during birth or infections such as pneumonia and sepsis.

 “These deaths can be prevented with access to well-trained midwives, along with proven solutions like clean water, disinfectants, breastfeeding within the first hour, skin-to-skin contact and good nutrition,” UNICEF said.
UNICEF