Global Newborn Healthcare – Saving Our Future
Advocating for newborn healthcare is nothing new to this diva. Last year, in support of World Prematurity Day, I shared my story and how important I felt it was to have proper and cost-effective healthcare available globally for newborns and their mothers. This is not something needed just for preemies, but for all newborns.
The following statistics are courtesy of Impatient Optimists:
Did you know that nearly 3 million newborns die each year globally?
Did you know that 99% of these newborns die in low- and middle-income countries?
Did you know that a newborn is 45X times more likely to die in the first month of life, when compared to age 1 month to 5 years?
Did you know that the major causes of newborn death are prematurity, infection, and birth asphyxia when a baby’s brain and other organs do not get enough oxygen before, during or right after birth are?
Did you know that complications of preterm birth are the second leading cause of death in children before their fifth birthday?
Starting this Monday, April 15th through Thursday, April 18th, the first global conference on newborn healthcare will take place in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Global Newborn Health Conference sets out to answer why so many newborns in the poorest countries are dying and what can we, as a global community, do to save them. So much attention has been focused on addressing childhood illnesses but newborn deaths account for almost 40 percent of the deaths of children under the age of 5 around the world (Source: Impatient Optimists)
How can you join in the global newborn healthcare conversation
Leading up to the conference Dr. Gary Darmstadt (@gdarmsta), Director of the Family Health Division of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and @gatesfoundation will tweet daily “Did You Know” facts about newborn health and you can become a part of the conversation. Dr. Darmstadt explains why so many newborns in the world’s poorest countries are dying and why more needs to be done to save the 3 million newborns that die every year in What You Might Not Know About Newborn Health.
You can spread newborn health facts by following the#newborn2013 hashtag and following Gary Darmstadt at@gdarmsta and @gatesfoundation and retweet newborn health facts to your followers.
Below are a few tweets that have already gone out that you can retweet and follow.
Did you know the 13 mill babies born each year with #LowBirthWeight are more likely to die in infancy? #newborn2013, ow.ly/jRvtW
— Gary L Darmstadt (@gdarmsta) April 9, 2013
Did you know in poor countries, a mother’s death in childbirth means almost certain death for her newborn? #MNCH #newbornsurvival
— Gary L Darmstadt (@gdarmsta) April 8, 2013
Did you know #NewbornDeaths are almost half of all childhood deaths? #MDGMomentum #newborn2013
— Gary L Darmstadt (@gdarmsta) April 6, 2013
This post was written for the Global Team of 200, a highly specialized group of Mom Bloggers for Social Good members who focus on maternal health, children, hunger, and women and girls.