Interventions could prevent millions of infant deaths in developing nations: Scientists

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - A group of scientists in Bangladesh released findings from ground-breaking research Tuesday which they said could save the lives of over 5 million newborns and prevent over half a million stillbirths in developing countries.

The information was revealed in the capital Dhaka during the launch of a regional edition of the prestigious medical journal The Lancet’s Small Vulnerable Newborns series with support from the Small Vulnerable Newborn Consortium.

In their paper, one of the scientists, Dr. Ahmed Ehsanur Rahman, outlines eight interventions which he says will not only save infants’ lives but lead to long-term health improvements.

During the press briefing, Dr. Rahman and fellow authors from the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR, B), a Dhaka-based international health research organization, said the interventions will cost upwards of $1.1 billion by 2030 and could also prevent 5.2 million premature or underweight births annually.

The scientists stressed that the interventions include multiple micronutrient supplements, balanced protein energy supplements, aspirin, syphilis treatment, smoking cessation education, malaria prevention during pregnancy, treatment for asymptomatic bacteriuria, and vaginal progesterone supplementation.

Of the 135 million live births in 2020, approximately 35.3 million fell into the Small Vulnerable Newborns (SVN) category, proving that the progress in global efforts to address the challenges of preterm birth and low birth weight has been insufficient.

The births occurred across the globe, with a significant concentration in southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

The Global Nutrition Target, aiming for a 30% reduction in low birth weight by 2030 from a 2012 baseline, has seen an annual reduction rate of just 0.59%.

The authors of the research suggest the interventions could potentially prevent about 32% of stillbirths, 20% of newborn deaths and 18% of all SVN births within developing countries.

“We need national actors, with global partners, to urgently prioritize action, advocate and invest,” Dr. Per Ashorn, the lead author the Lancet Series and director of the Tampere Centre for Child, Adolescent and Maternal Health Research at Tampere University in Finland, is quoted in the press release as saying.