India tops list of premature baby deaths globally

Nearly half of all child deaths in India are caused due to pre-term births, a new study has revealed.

In India, 27 million babies are born every year out of which 3.5 million are born prematurely which exposes them to an enormous risk of dying early, according to a report by `Save the Children`.

The report 'Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth' states that India is among the top 10 countries that account for 60 per cent of the world's preterm births. Preterm birth is defined as birth after less than 37 weeks of pregnancy.

Even in terms of preterm birth rates, the number of children born prematurely per 1,000 live births, India ranks 36.

"Being born too soon is an unrecognized killer," says Save the Children's Advocacy and Policy Director Shireen Vakil Miller.

"The statistics for India are not in line with its economic status in the world. India needs to improve its public health system immediately and urgently," Miller said.

The countries with the greatest numbers of preterm births are India (35.19 lakh), China (11.7 lakh), Nigeria 7.7 (lakh), Pakistan 7.48 (lakh), Indonesia (6.75 lakh), the US (5.17 lakh), Bangladesh (4.24 lakh), the Philippines (3.48 lakh), Congo (3.41 lakh) and Brazil (2.79 lakh).

The report calls for a strong research program to identify risk factors and understand how their interactions may lead to preterm birth so that more definitive ways can be found to prevent the problem from occurring.

Until research provides better answers, the report advises taking effective measures now, such as screening women for known medical conditions that could put them at risk during pregnancy, assuring good nutrition before and during pregnancy, and making sure that all women have access to good preconception and prenatal health care and receive the recommended number of visits during pregnancy.

Save the Children India CEO Thomas Chandy said many factors such as early marriage and pregnancy, inadequate nutritional intake by pregnant women and lack of adequate health interventions were among other reasons that contributed to such a high rate of pre-term pregnancy, exposing both the mother and the baby to risk.