High rates of neo-natal mortality in Mozambique: 29,000 deaths per year

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High rates of neo-natal mortality in Mozambique: 29,000 deaths per year

1:41 CAT | 23 Feb 2018

Photo: Courtesy of Unicef Mozambique

About 29,000 new-borns die annually in Mozambique, the equivalent of 80 new-born babies a day, or three every hour, according to a new report on new-born mortality released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday.

According to UNICEF, “Mozambique’s neonatal mortality rate is estimated at 27 new-born deaths per 1,000 live births, which means that 1 in 27 live births die in the neonatal period. From 1990 to 2015, neonatal mortality dropped by 56 percent, but in recent years it has remained stationary”.

The report adds that “the main causes of death in Mozambique are prematurity, complications related to childbirth and sepsis”, a potentially fatal condition that arises when the body’s response to an infection damages its own tissues and organs.

UNICEF reports in its report that “the overall number of new-born deaths remains appallingly high, especially in the world’s poorest countries”.

“Babies born in Japan, Iceland and Singapore have the best chance of survival, while those born in Pakistan, the Central African Republic and Afghanistan are at the opposite pole, facing the greatest chance of not surviving the first month of life”.

The report also highlights that eight of the 10 most dangerous places to be born are in sub-Saharan Africa: the Central African Republic, Somalia, Lesotho, Guinea-Bissau, South Sudan, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali and Chad. The other two countries are Pakistan and Afghanistan, both in Asia. High rates of neonatal mortality are associated with poor childbirth assistance for pregnant women because of poverty, conflict and lack of infrastructure.

Source: AIM Moçambique