A WHO and UNICEF report shows that preterm birth is the leading cause of infant mortality in the world.

Preterm birth is the world’s leading cause of infant deaths, with sub-Saharan Africa being the region with the most deaths, along with Central and South Asia, the WHO and UNICEF report says.

Although the situation is worse in the two regions mentioned, the rate of preterm births did not change in any region of the world from 2010 to 2020, with 152 million children vulnerable to being “born too early”, the report said on Tuesday. The exhibition was produced by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The most recent data is from 2020 and shows that 4.5 million deaths have been reported, including maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths, with five African countries in the top 10 with the most cases.

Nigeria (540,000 deaths) is second on the list, led by India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (241,000) is fourth, Ethiopia (196,000) is fifth, and Tanzania (94,000) is 10th in the list of these ten countries. which together also account for 60% of all maternal, stillbirth and neonatal deaths worldwide and 51% of births.

Inequalities related to race, ethnicity and access to quality health care determine the likelihood of preterm birth and the risk of infant and maternal mortality even in high-income countries, according to updated WHO and UNICEF estimates underlying the report, compiled together with the School of Hygiene and tropical medicine.

For example, almost one in ten premature babies is born in the 10 most vulnerable countries affected by humanitarian crises, which include the leading DR Congo, Sudan, Somalia, Chad, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. data collected for this work.

Antenatal care, skilled birth care and postnatal care for mothers and newborns were the indicators taken into account in the report, with sub-Saharan Africa once again being the most at risk region.

While all regions of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs set by the UN) have “showed modest improvement in increasing coverage of at least four prenatal observations”, two regions remain “well below the global target” (90%) to be reached by 2025, with this is “the lowest rate in sub-Saharan Africa (54%),” the report says.

For another metric, skilled birth attendance, coverage has improved in all regions since 2010, but “estimates for 2022 and projections for 2025 suggest sub-Saharan Africa will fall short of the 90% target.”

Also in the area of ​​postpartum care, WHO and UNICEF concluded that Sub-Saharan Africa is the region of the world most “below the target (59%) and is expected to fall short of the global target before 2025.”

The report also highlights that globally, the effects of conflict, climate change and environmental damage, the Covid-19 pandemic and rising costs of living are increasing risks for women and babies.

For example, “air pollution is estimated to contribute to six million preterm births a year,” said those responsible for analyzing the data.

The report was released as part of the International Conference on Newborn Maternal Health in Cape Town, South Africa, May 8-11, where WHO, UNICEF and others are calling for concrete action to improve care. for women and newborns and reduce the risk of preterm birth.