martes, 17 de noviembre de 2015

World Prematurity Day 2015: Prematurity is the #1 Cause of Under-5 Mortality

World Prematurity Day 2015: Prematurity is the #1 Cause of Under-5 Mortality

USAID: From the American People

Today, along with partners around the world, we recognize World Prematurity
Day and the 15 million children worldwide born premature each year.

Complications from preterm birth are the leading cause of death among children
under 5, claiming the lives of nearly 1 million newborns each year – 15 percent of
all under-5 deaths. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia account for half the world’s
births, but more than 60 percent of the world’s preterm babies and over 80 percent
of the world’s newborn deaths attributable to preterm birth complications.

Preventing preterm births and treating the complications that arise from them are essential components of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) vision to end preventable child and maternal deaths within a generation. USAID works with partners in 24 priority countries around the world to identify and scale up programs and interventions that are most effective for addressing preterm birth complications.

Today, USAID’s Every Preemie SCALE project released a series of country profiles on preterm birth and low birth weight for USAID’s priority maternal and child health countries.