Children born in the richest countries have up to 50 times greater chance of surviving the first month of life than those from the poorest regions of the world. Neonatal mortality is alarmingly high, according to UNICEF in its latest report. The youngest born in Japan, Iceland and Singapore have the best chance of survival, and in Pakistan, the Central African Republic and Afghanistan – the smallest. Poland, together in Hungary, was in the middle of the pack.
Over the past 25 years, we have halved the number of deaths among children under 5. Unfortunately, the same progress has not been achieved for babies under one month of age, said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF’s Director General. Most of these children died from diseases that we can prevent.
According to the report, in low-income countries, the infant mortality rate averages 27 deaths per 1000 births. By contrast, in high-income countries, the rate averages 3 deaths per 1000 births. Children born in the richest countries are up to 50 times more likely to survive the first month of life than children in the poorest regions of the world. In Poland, the infant mortality rate is on average 2,8 deaths per 1000 births (i.e. 1 in 357 children). Among the rich countries, Poland was in the middle (on a par with Hungary). The worse result was obtained, among others, by Switzerland, New Zealand, Denmark and Canada, and better: Great Britain, Lithuania, France or Greece.
UNICEF points out in the report that 8 out of 10 birth places where babies are least likely to survive their first month are in sub-Saharan Africa, where pregnant women have much more difficult access to perinatal care. It is a consequence of poverty, armed conflicts and ineffective institutions.
If every country had brought its infant mortality rate down to the average in rich countries by 2030, 16 million children would have been saved.
Unequal Chances in Life
The neonatal mortality rate is an estimate that takes into account the range of measurement uncertainty. The ranking is based on the median of the estimated neonatal mortality rates (neonatal deaths per 1000 live births). They do not take into account the uncertainty of measurements and therefore the position in the ranking may change. The ranking excludes countries with fewer than 1000 live births or a population of less than 90.
Over 80 percent deaths among newborns are caused by premature delivery, complications in childbirth, and infections such as pneumonia and sepsis. This can be prevented by access to clean water and disinfectants, as well as better care from qualified midwives. It is also important to breastfeed in the first hour of a baby’s life, direct contact of the newborn with the mother’s skin and adequate nutrition. Unfortunately, the insufficient number of qualified medical and midwives means that thousands of the youngest children do not receive the necessary help to keep them alive. For example, in Norway, there are 10 doctors, nurses and midwives per 000 people. In Somalia, the figure is 218 in 1.
UNICEF launches the global campaign, Every Child Alive, with the goal of delivering lifesaving help to newborns around the world. Throughout the campaign, UNICEF will appeal to governments, healthcare, Donors, the private sector, families and entrepreneurs to help every child in their first moments of life by:
- Training and providing medical centers with a sufficient number of doctors, nurses and midwives experienced in the care of newborns;
- Providing every mother and her newborn baby with access to medical equipment, life-saving drugs, clean water, soap and electricity;
- Supporting girls, mothers and families in accessing high-quality medical care.
Each year, 2,6 million newborns worldwide die in the first month of life. A million of them in the first 24 hours, says Henrietta Fore. We can help most of these children by providing them and their mothers with basic medical care. Even the smallest support from each of us will contribute to a better start in life for the youngest.