ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is among the worst-affected countries in southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa where around 65 per cent of preterm births occurred in 2020, according to a detailed study, published in a journal authored by the WHO, Unicef and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The rates in the worse-affected countries — Bangladesh (16.2 per cent), Malawi (14.5pc) and Pakistan (14.3pc) — are three or four times higher than those in the least affected countries — Serbia (3.8pc), Moldova (4pc) and Kazakhstan (4.7pc).
An estimated 13.4 million babies were born early — before 37 full weeks of pregnancy — which is around one in 10 of all live births, says the study released on Friday.
The WHO says preterm birth is a global burden considered to be one of the main risk factors for neonatal mortality (aged under five years) and is associated with short-term and long-term effects, such as poor health and growth, intellectual and mental disabilities, and early onset of chronic diseases, among others.
Birth complications continue to afflict even high-income states, like US
As with other major trends relating to maternal health, no region of the world has significantly reduced rates of preterm births over the last decade. The annual global rate of reduction in preterm births between 2010 and 2020 was just 0.14pc, according to the study published in Lancet, a publication of WHO.
“Preterm babies are especially vulnerable to life-threatening health complications and they need special care and attention,” said Dr Anshu Banerjee, Director of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing at WHO.
“These numbers show an urgent need for serious investment in services available to support them and their families as well as a greater focus on prevention — in particular ensuring access to quality health care before and during every pregnancy,” she said.
Preterm birth is not just an issue in low- and middle-income countries as the data shows clearly that it affects families in all parts of the world. Rates of 10 per cent or higher occur in some high-income countries such as Greece (11.6pc) and the United States of America (10pc).
The study says maternal health risks, such as adolescent pregnancy, infections, poor nutrition, and pre-eclampsia, are closely linked to preterm births. Quality antenatal care is critical to detect and manage complications, to ensure accurate pregnancy dating through early ultrasound scans and, if needed, to delay labour through approved treatments.
The report says little change has been observed in the global preterm birth rate in the last decade, and indeed reductions in numbers could be more related to the falling number of births in most regions.
Action is needed to address the underlying causes of preterm births, and to improve the use of real-time data for policies, programmes and clinical management to develop effective prevention and treatment programmes.
Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2023
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