World Prematurity Day

You may have seen people wearing purple last Tuesday. This is because World Prematurity Day was observed on November 17. People wear purple to promote awareness about premature births, which is the number one cause of death in children under the age of five.

Around 15 million babies are born prematurely each year, that is one in 10 babies born worldwide.{{more}}

Of these, around one million babies die from complications due to prematurity. More than three-quarters of these babies could be saved through better access to quality care and medicines for both mother and baby.

Complications of preterm births are the leading cause of death among children under five years of age. Without appropriate treatment, those who survive often face lifelong disabilities, including learning, visual and hearing problems and their quality of life is greatly affected.

Prematurity is the term used to describe when a baby is born early. For most women, pregnancy lasts around 40 weeks. Babies that are born between 37 and 42 weeks are considered full-term and babies born before 37 weeks are considered premature.

The causes of premature delivery are numerous. These include conditions such as cervical incompetence, HELLP Syndrome, multiple births, placenta previa, placental abruption, placental insufficiency, pre-eclampsia, Premature Rupture of Membranes (PROM), previous premature birth, serious or an existing medical condition, substance abuse, Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS), mother’s age, urine infection and uterine abnormalities, among others.

There are many factors that help determine a baby’s chance of survival, including: birth weight, gestational age, gender, maturity of organs (especially the lungs) and presence of breathing problems, the baby’s condition at birth, multiple pregnancy, maternal health, presence of congenital abnormalities, antenatal steroids, severe medical complications such as infections and delivery at a hospital that offers specialist neonatal care.

The outcomes for premature babies are generally good; however, there are definite risks associated with being born early. The chances of survival increase as the baby gets older, but estimates are never exact. Some babies suddenly get sick with an infection and can pass away unexpectedly, while others are able to fight and survive.

I encourage you to help raise awareness on this important topic, because most of us know someone who was born prematurely and have survived and is now a beautiful boy or girl. Maybe we know of a case where the premature infant didn’t make it. However, raising awareness can help parents to better understand this issue and also encourage the health system to improve neonatal care so that these beautiful small ones can survive also. Even if they came too early, they also deserve a chance.

Dr Rosmond Adams is a medical doctor and a public health specialist. He may be emailed at adamsrosmond@gmail.com