Newborn Death Rates Down Globally; US Ranks 30th In World For Well-Being Of New Mothers And Children
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A newborn's survival beyond the first week can be more of a challenge than a norm, especially in countries with lacking health care resources.
Save the Children reports that while the number of children who die under the age of five has dropped nearly 40 percent since 1990, there still exists a gap between health care offered to the fortunate versus the unfortunate. The division is seen across the globe, most notably in developed countries, causing the unfortunate deaths of many newborns.
Save the Children's 14th annual State of The World's Mothers report this year says that many infant deaths are caused by preventable incidences like infections, choking, and poor premature care. The report serves to awaken the population to the fact that the difference between life and death for newborns is in the hands of their caretakers and that a family's location close to or far from the poverty line should no longer be an issue.
The report cites four important "life-saving" solutions that could prevent one million deaths within the first month of children's lives. Among these are antibiotics, resuscitation equipment, and the administration of small and harmless amounts of steroids to prematurely born children for boosted lung development and function. The steroids, perhaps most controversial, allow for lung tissues to grow faster so that the infant can support its own body and resist reliance on hospital equipment in the first months of its life.
Most importantly, all of the solutions suggested by Save the Children add up to under $10 worth of aid per baby.
While developing countries have higher rates of infant death than developed countries, the rates in developed countries are still appalling. Save the Children reports that more than 11,000 babies die the same day they are born the United States each year.
"There's almost this feeling that, well, of course a certain number of babies in the developing world, particularly those born prematurely, are going to die, but that doesn't have to be the case," said Carolyn Miles, CEO of Save the Children. She added that kids everywhere need to have access to health care, whether they come from a poor or rich country.
The State of the World's Mothers report indicates that the first day of a child's life is the best day to ensure his or her healthy future and measures to save the child are affordable. Eventually, with the vigilance of parents and society as a whole, the newborn death rate may decrease by more than 40 percent.