KARACHI, Aug 17: Speakers at a health education seminar stressed the need for promotion of immunisation through vaccines to avert deaths of children below five years of age.

The seminar was organised for general physicians at the Aga Khan University on Thursday evening. It was said that simple tetanus immunisation could save one million newborns worldwide.

A research instructor, Dr Samana Ali, said that three million neonatal deaths occurred within the first week of birth and at least one million babies died within 24 hours of birth.

Infection was one of the major causes of newborns’ deaths across the world especially in developing countries, accounting for total 36 per cent of all neonatal deaths due to pneumonia/sepsis, tetanus and diarrhoea, she added.She said that two doses of tetanus toxoid given to mothers could prevent one million deaths of newborn babies, a cost effective health intervention.

Dr Syed Rehan Ali spoke about jaundice in new born babies and said that it was serious when it started during the first 24 hours of birth and lasted longer than two weeks.

Dr Mohammed Sohail Salat said that there was no alternative to breast milk and babies should be fed preferably in the delivery room within an hour after birth.

Dr Khalil Ahmed said that low birth weight was a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in newborns along with sepsis and birth asphyxia. Dr Maqbool Qadir said that most of the skin conditions encountered in immediate newborn period were benign conditions, requiring no treatment.