Prematurity: A worrying situation

2023-05-29 08:00:57

Between 2010 and 2020, one in ten babies was born prematurely. Gold, prematurity is a worldwide concern as underlined by the latest report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef, which qualify it as a “silent emergency”. We take stock.

What is prematurity?

A child is said to be “premature” when it is born before 35 weeks of pregnancy.. Depending on the stage of prematurity (very large, large or medium), its organs and physiological functions will be more or less immature. This degree of immaturity will then impact the duration of neonatal resuscitation care and hospital follow-up with a risk of long-term consequences on the child’s health (developmental delays or disability).

Currently, prematurity is the leading cause of infant mortality and kills one in five children before the age of 5.. According to figures from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 13.4 million babies were born prematurely in 2020 and almost a million of them died from complications related to premature delivery. This equates to approximately one in ten babies born prematurely. This situation is all the more worrying as global preterm birth rates have not changed between 2010 and 2020.

In this context, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef, in collaboration with the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), publish a new report on prematurity. Entitled « Born too soon », this report highlights the “silent emergency” that prematurity represents, as well as its underestimated scale and seriousness.

Read also – November 17: World Day of Prematurity

Inequalities in the survival of premature infants

It must be said that the survival of premature babies depends heavily on their country of birth and that here once more, geographical inequalities persist:

• In low-income countries, only one in ten extremely premature babies (< 28 weeks) can expect to survive, compared to more than nine in ten in high-income countries.
• The highest prematurity rates are observed in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa with 65% of premature births in the world and significant mortality risks.
• Nearly one in ten premature babies is born in countries affected by humanitarian crises.

Other factors are also to be taken into account in the phenomenon of prematurity, including air pollution, climate change, the Covid pandemic, wars, etc.

To know ! Air pollution contributes to 6 million premature births each year.

At the International Conference on Maternal and Newborn Health, held in South Africa from May 8 to 11, WHO, UNICEF, the United Nations and PMNCH called for ever greater investment in improve access to care for premature babies and prevent this phenomenon.

Read also – Prematurity, does neonatology have limits?

Déborah L., Doctor of Pharmacy

Sources

– Prematurity, a “silent emergency” which requires an immediate response, warn the WHO and UNICEF. www.lequotidiendumedecin.fr. Accessed May 18, 2023.
– Born too soon. express.adobe.com. Consulté le 18 mai 2023.

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