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               Premature Birth Still Top Killer of Young Children

   by Carol Pearson

   People around the world are observing [1]World Prematurity Day on
   November 17. In New York, the Empire State Building will be lit in
   purple, the color of the [2]March of Dimes, an international
   organization focused on making sure every baby is born healthy and full
   term. It's also the color of World Prematurity Day. Buildings in other
   countries will be lit in purple, too, including the Bosophorus Bridge
   in Turkey and the Heidelberg Castle in Germany. In addition, some
   organizations are hosting educational events and generally spreading
   the word about the dangers babies face when they are born before 37
   weeks in the womb.

   People also are posting comments on [3]Facebook about the event, their
   children's personal successes, and the losses of their babies who were
   born too soon to survive.

   ''The [4]observance began when organizations involved in preventing
   premature births joined together to raise awareness of a condition that
   can leave babies with lifelong disabilities, if they survive. Most
   don't. The March of Dimes reports that for the first time, the
   complications of preterm birth now outrank all other causes as the
   world's number one killer of young children.

   Global problem

   Approximately 15 million babies are born prematurely each year. That's
   more than one in 10 of all babies born worldwide, according to the
   World Health Organization. Of these babies, the WHO reports, around 1
   million die from complications due to prematurity. More than 60 percent
   of preterm births occur in Africa and South Asia. Malawi has the
   highest rate of premature birth in the world, according to a [5]report
   called Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth,
   published in 2012, the latest [6]country-by-country statistics
   available.

   Even the U.S. doesn't do well. In its [7]annual report card for the
   United States, the March of Dimes gave the U.S. a mediocre grade
   overall. Some states got the lowest grade possible. Only four got the
   highest.

   Experts agree that more than three quarters of these babies could be
   saved through good pre- and post-natal care for both mother and baby.
   And many lifesaving techniques cost nothing. For example, skin-to-skin
   contact between mother and baby, when the baby is wrapped to the
   mother's chest, has been found to improve a preemie's chances of
   survival. It keeps the baby warm and keeps the mother's attention on
   her baby, which prompts her to feed the baby more often. The technique
   is called [8]kangaroo mother care, and research shows it can work. Dr.
   Joy Law, previously of Save the Children, did [9]research on this in
   2010.

   ''

   Roadmap

   This year, the March of Dimes is releasing a "roadmap" to help reduce
   the number of pre-term births.

   The roadmap tells women to wait 18 months between the birth of one
   child and the next pregnancy. Dr. Edward McCabe, the medical director
   of the March of Dimes says this allows a woman's body to recover from
   one pregnancy before becoming pregnant again. Other recommendations
   include:

   o   Group Prenatal Care;

   o   Getting help to stop smoking before and during pregnancy, as
   smoking contributes to low birth-weight;

   o   Avoiding elective deliveries before 39 weeks of pregnancy,
   deliveries that are not medically necessary;

   o   Progesterone treatments for all women with a prior preterm birth,
   or a short cervix;

   o   Low-dose aspirin to prevent pre-eclampsia, a sometimes
   life-threatening condition, in women with high risk pregnancies;

   o   Preventing multiple births by following fertility treatment best
   practices.

   The March of Dimes also supports five prematurity research centers.
   While some behaviors or lack of good nutrition can increase the chances
   of premature birth, no one knows what causes half of all preterm
   births.

   ''

   Former U.S. surgeon general Regina Benjamin operates a rural health
   clinic in Alabama, one of the states that received a failing grade in
   the March of Dimes report card. She is quoted in a March of Dimes press
   release as saying, "As a family doctor, I've seen the terrible impact
   of premature birth... This March of Dimes detailed plan to understand
   and prevent preterm birth is critical, and when we succeed, it will
   spare an estimated 1.3 million fewer babies the health consequences of
   a premature birth."

   Some of the consequences of pre-term birth can include cerebral palsy,
   loss of vision, loss of intellectual capacity and developmental delays.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [10]http://www.voanews.com/content/premature-birth-still-top-killer-of-
   young-children/3061299.html

References

   1. http://www.who.int/life-course/news/events/world-prematurity-day/en/
   2. http://www.marchofdimes.org/mission/world-prematurity-day.aspx
   3. https://www.facebook.com/WorldPrematurityDay/timeline
   4. http://pledge.marchofdimes.org/?utm_medium=internal-referral&utm_campaign=pledge&utm_source=modhp
   5. http://www.who.int/pmnch/media/news/2012/preterm_birth_report/en/
   6. http://www.who.int/pmnch/media/news/2012/preterm_birth_report/en/index5.html
   7. http://www.marchofdimes.org/mission/prematurity-reportcard.aspx
   8. http://www.kangaroomothercare.com/
   9. http://www.savethechildren.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=8rKLIXMGIpI4E&b=6230287&ct=8571195
  10. http://www.voanews.com/content/premature-birth-still-top-killer-of-young-children/3061299.html