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Friday, March 29, 2024

Maternal mortality, stillbirths on the rise

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The World Health Organization has raised the alarm on under-reported maternal and neonatal deaths by as much as 30 percent worldwide.

Ian Askew, director of Reproductive Health and Research at WHO, said official records will show that yearly, at least 303,000 women die during pregnancy and childbirth while 2.7-million babies die during the first 28 days of their life and another 2.6 million are stillborn.

“We must ensure that all births and deaths are counted so that we can understand what to do to prevent future deaths, no matter where they occur,” Askew said.

He said the true magnitude of stillbirths and maternal and neonatal deaths remained unreported as the figures are higher than what have been recorded officially.

“By reviewing the causes of maternal and infant deaths, countries can improve quality of health care, take corrective actions and prevent millions of families from enduring the pain of losing their infants or mothers,” he added.

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In some countries, Askew said official reports have underestimated the magnitude of maternal mortality by up to 70 percent.

“Every time a death is reviewed it has the potential to tell a story about what could have been done to save a mother and her baby,” said WHO director of Maternal, Children’s and Adolescents’ Heath Anthony Costello.

“Nearly all babies who are stillborn and half of all newborn deaths are not recorded in a birth or death certificate, and thus have never been registered, reported or investigated by the health system,” Costello noted.

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