Born Too Soon: Decade of Action on Preterm Birth
2023
This report, published jointly by the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH), details the crisis of preterm births worldwide. In the last decade, 152 million babies were born preterm, with a lack of improvement across regions making preterm births the leading cause of child deaths worldwide. The report emphasizes the regional disparities in survival rates and finds that Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa account for over 65% of global preterm births.
The report highlights the relationship between maternal health risks and preterm births and includes stories of preterm birth and neonatal care from various countries worldwide. It emphasizes the need for prevention efforts and increased investment in comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare–along with action to address the growing risks caused by conflict, the COVID-19 crisis, and climate change.
Born Too Soon: Decade of Action on Preterm Birth
Source:
Born Too Soon: Decade of Action on Preterm Birth. World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund, and Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health 2023. https://data.unicef.org/resources/born-too-soon-decade-of-action-on-preterm-birth.