PHA-Exchange> Infant Mortality Can Be Cut Substantially and Cheaply

[Claudio]

From: "Vern Weitzel" <vern.weitzel at undp.org>
http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050228/full/050228-17.html


Millions of babies' lives could be saved
It wouldn't cost much to dramatically reduce infant deaths in poor
countries.
Erika Check

Many infant deaths can be easily prevented by simple health measures.  © WHO

Simple, inexpensive treatments could prevent the deaths of three million
babies every year, doctors
and child advocates have announced.

According to studies published in the medical journal The Lancet1-4, each
year four million babies
under a month old die, and three-quarters of them die in the first week of
life. But the research
shows that most could be saved through 16 basic interventions, such as
encouraging mothers to
breast-feed and providing antibiotics for sick babies.

The United Nations' 191 member countries have set the ambitious goal of
reducing mother and child
deaths by two-thirds by 2015. But most research on preventing infant deaths
focuses on expensive
medical technologies to save those who die in rich countries - only 1% of
the total. About
two-thirds of infant deaths occur in ten countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
China, the Democratic
Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Indonesia and the
United Republic of Tanzania.

Doctors hope that this latest research will draw more attention to babies in
poorer countries."The tragedy of four million newborn deaths must stop" .

Cheap and simple

The research shows that the majority of these babies die from infections,
premature birth, or
problems during the birth itself, says Paul, and that most of the preventive
measures are very cheap
and simple. For instance, 500,000 babies die every year from tetanus
infections. But these deaths
could be prevented if their mothers received tetanus vaccinations, which
only cost 20 US cents per
shot. And most premature babies simply need extra warmth, feeding and prompt
treatment of
infections, which requires proper training of midwives, mothers-to-be and
their families.

 It is estimated that breast-feeding could prevent 1.3 million deaths
worldwide each year. Other cheap interventions  include clean delivery
kits, which contain soap, a clean razor blade and piece of string for
cutting and tying the
umbilical cord, and a plastic sheet to place on the ground under the baby.
These measures aim to
prevent babies from catching infections in the crucial minutes during and
just after birth.

Some countries, such as Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia and Honduras, have
begun to reduce infant
deaths using inexpensive methods like these. Countries could fully address
the problem by spending
just 90 cents more per person than they do now.