This global scourge represents 1.4% of births occurring in 2019. Figures that could become even more worrying because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A “Neglected tragedy”, alert the UN. Each year, nearly two million babies are born stillborn – that's one child every sixteen seconds. A appalling assessment that the UN draws up in a new report published on Thursday, October 8. These figures represent almost 1.4% of births occurring in 2019, and more than 2% of births in twenty-seven countries, say the UN, Unicef, the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO).
A lack of appropriate care
This report alerts you to stillbirths, which occurred during pregnancy or during childbirth. But also by counting the deaths occurring during the third trimester of pregnancy, to make a comparison between the data of the different countries.
Despite the progress made in 2000 with a death toll of 2.9 million stillbirths, progress still remains “Slow”, deplore international organizations. In fact, over the past twenty years, these deaths have declined by 2.3% per year, neonatal mortality has decreased by 2.9%, while that of children between 1 month and 5 years has decreased by 4.3. %.
Thus, this report highlights "The lack of investment in services"Maternity, and"in strengthening nurses and midwives ”. "Beyond these lost lives, the psychological and financial consequences are serious and lasting for women, families and society", underlines Henrietta Fore, general director of Unicef. In addition, poor countries would be more affected. Thus, sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia alone account for three-quarters of the cases. According to figures, on average 40% of these deaths occur during work, 50% in sub-Saharan Africa and central and southern Asia.
Conversely, it is only 6% in Europe and North America. "This drama is not inevitable", emphasizes Henrietta Fore. "The majority" deaths “Can be avoided with good quality surveillance, adequate antenatal care and trained personnel”. Dramatic consequences that could be avoided with an emergency caesarean section, the management of hypertension during pregnancy, the prevention of malaria or even the screening for syphilis.
A pandemic that risks "worsening the situation"
But the current Covid-19 health crisis could on the contrary “Make the situation worse”, according to the report. "First of all, because of the massive increase in poverty caused by the global recession", says Mark Hereward, UNICEF's deputy director for data and statistics at AFP. "The other reason is the interruption of health services, either because health professionals are reassigned" to patients with coronavirus.
Unfortunately, the toll could worsen by exceeding the mark of 200,000 additional cases in the coming months, if lasting solutions are not found.