November 22, 2006
Counting African Lives Lost in First Weeks By CELIA W. DUGGER
More than a million babies die across Africa every year in their first
month of life, a tragedy neglected by donor countries and African governments
and hidden from view because the deaths often occur in societies where mothers
and their babies are secluded after birth and the children go unnamed for
weeks, according to a report by dozens of medical and public health experts
released today.
Look at the reaction in the U.S. or the U.K. if even one baby dies,
particularly if there is malpractice, said Dr. Joy Lawn, a lead author of the
report, Opportunities for Africas Newborns. Families get very upset and
theres a big hoo-ha. In Africa, theres a taboo around mourning a baby.
Major international efforts to reduce child mortality from measles, malaria
and diarrhea have largely benefited older babies and young children who have
survived the trials of being a newborn. The 60 scientists and doctors who
collaborated on the report say they hope to bring a new focus to the care of
infants in Africa during the first days and weeks of life.
Countries where newborns have the highest risk of dying among them,
Liberia, Ivory Coast, Mali and Nigeria also have the most easily preventable
deaths, according to the report, which was financed by Save the Children, the
United States Agency for International Development and the World Health
Organization. Following are some of the most significant findings:
¶Many of the more than 300,000 babies who die because they are not breathing
at birth could have been saved if birth attendants knew a simple resuscitation
technique that relies on a mask and plastic bag device that can be sold for as
little as $10.
¶Some 70,000 babies die of tetanus infections that could have been prevented
if mothers had been given two 20-cent tetanus shots when they were pregnant.
¶Many of the babies born prematurely who die could have survived if they had
been kept warm and snug against their mothers chests, skin to skin, and
wrapped in place with a cloth.
This technique, called kangaroo mother care, uses the mothers body heat to
care for a small premature baby suffering from low body temperature. It has
been found as effective as incubator care, the report said. Lacking an
understanding of their babies need for warmth, poor mothers often give them
cold baths.
Dr. Lawn, a senior researcher and adviser to a project on newborns at Save
the Children USA, said it was only in recent years that researchers have
analyzed data collected in large-scale surveys, documenting the number and
patterns of newborn deaths. There wasnt anybody interested to pull the data
for newborns, she said.
The new report breaks down newborn death rates by country and finds that some
of the poorest ones have made impressive strides, a sign that even with minimal
resources notable improvements can be made. Eritrea, Malawi, Tanzania and
Ethiopia have significantly reduced the risk of newborn deaths in recent years.
But there is a long way to go, the report says. Though a majority of newborn
deaths occur in the first week of life, most health care providers across
sub-Saharan Africa advise mothers to return with their babies for a checkup
only after six weeks.
This is a visit for survivors, the report said.
This study of Africa, which has the highest rates of newborn deaths globally,
builds on a Save the Children report released in May addressing the four
million newborn deaths that occur annually around the world. The Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation, which finances Save the Childrens work, years ago
identified the gap in attention to newborn health.
In the United States, 4.7 newborns die for every 1,000 born, compared with 66
per 1000 in Liberia, which has the highest rate in the world.
%%%%%%%%%%
There is never a shortage of money to buy $40M jet for the president, build
him a $150M lodge, $400K to buy him a Range Rover, pay for mambas to tear gas
the populace, etc, etc.
But, somehow, there is always a shortage of money to buy drugs, pay health
workers, teachers, etc.
Life sucks in Africa!
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Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta.
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