Half of Africa's 1.16 million neonatal deaths occur in Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda, the report said. Ethiopia ranks 3rd in the number of newborn deaths with 119,500 newborn death. Country
Ranking for number of newborn death
Number of newborn deaths
Ranking for number of maternal deaths
Number of Maternal Deaths
Nigeria
1
255,500
1
42,600
DR Congo
2
130,900
2
27,600
Ethiopia
3
119,500
3
26,000
Tanzania
4
44,900
8
8,100
Uganda
5
44,500
6
12,400
Africa most dangerous place for newborns -- report
JOHANNESBURG, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Each year more than one million babies in sub-Saharan Africa die before they are a month old because of a lack of essential health care, a U.N. report said on Wednesday."Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most dangerous region in the world for a baby to be born -- with 1.16 million babies dying each year in the first 28 days of life," said the report published, in Johannesburg and Geneva.
The document, drafted by nine agencies including the World Health Organisation, said six countries in the region had made progress in improving care, reducing neonatal deaths by about 30 percent in the past decade.
"Whilst the survival of the African child has shown almost no improvement since the 1980s, the fact that during 2006 several large African countries have reported a dramatic reduction in the risk of child deaths gives us new hope," said co-editor Joy Lawn.
Up to half a million African babies die on the day they are born, with Liberia having the world's highest neonatal mortality rate at 66 deaths per 1,000 births, compared with fewer than two deaths for 1,000 births in Japan.
Half of Africa's 1.16 million neonatal deaths occur in Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda, the report said.
Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Madagascar, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda had made significant progress in reducing infant deaths over the last 10 years, thanks to increased government spending on basic health care.
The report said opportunities to save the lives of newborns within existing programmes were often missed, with only one-tenth of women in Africa attending antenatal care receiving preventive treatment for malaria.
Only one percent of mothers with HIV had treatment to avoid transmitting the virus to their babies during childbirth.
"Up to 800,000 babies a year could be saved if 90 percent of women and babies received feasible, low-cost health interventions," the report said, adding this would cost about $1 billion per year.
The United Nations said in October that more than 18 million children in Africa would be orphaned by HIV/AIDS by the end of the decade if more was not done to combat the pandemic among the continent's overwhelmingly young population.
Excerpts from the UN Report
To meet MDG 4, sub-Saharan Africa will need to achieve an annual average reduction in under-five mortality of at least 8 percent per year for the next decade. Four high burden countries with stagnant U5MR in the 1990s – Tanzania, Malawi, and Ethiopia – have reported 25 to 30 percent reductions in U5MR over the past few years based on data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) released in the past year (Figure I.3). These statistics equate to annual reductions of over five percent and suggest that major decreases in child mortality can be achieved.
More than half of African babies who die do so at home. In some countries, such as Ethiopia, as few as five percent die in hospital.
Ranking for number of newborn death
Number of newborn deaths
Ranking for number of maternal deaths
Number of Maternal Deaths
Nigeria
1
255,500
1
42,600
DR Congo
2
130,900
2
27,600
Ethiopia
3
119,500
3
26,000
Tanzania
4
44,900
8
8,100
Uganda
5
44,500
6
12,400
Africa most dangerous place for newborns -- report
JOHANNESBURG, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Each year more than one million babies in sub-Saharan Africa die before they are a month old because of a lack of essential health care, a U.N. report said on Wednesday."Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most dangerous region in the world for a baby to be born -- with 1.16 million babies dying each year in the first 28 days of life," said the report published, in Johannesburg and Geneva.
The document, drafted by nine agencies including the World Health Organisation, said six countries in the region had made progress in improving care, reducing neonatal deaths by about 30 percent in the past decade.
"Whilst the survival of the African child has shown almost no improvement since the 1980s, the fact that during 2006 several large African countries have reported a dramatic reduction in the risk of child deaths gives us new hope," said co-editor Joy Lawn.
Up to half a million African babies die on the day they are born, with Liberia having the world's highest neonatal mortality rate at 66 deaths per 1,000 births, compared with fewer than two deaths for 1,000 births in Japan.
Half of Africa's 1.16 million neonatal deaths occur in Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda, the report said.
Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Madagascar, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda had made significant progress in reducing infant deaths over the last 10 years, thanks to increased government spending on basic health care.
The report said opportunities to save the lives of newborns within existing programmes were often missed, with only one-tenth of women in Africa attending antenatal care receiving preventive treatment for malaria.
Only one percent of mothers with HIV had treatment to avoid transmitting the virus to their babies during childbirth.
"Up to 800,000 babies a year could be saved if 90 percent of women and babies received feasible, low-cost health interventions," the report said, adding this would cost about $1 billion per year.
The United Nations said in October that more than 18 million children in Africa would be orphaned by HIV/AIDS by the end of the decade if more was not done to combat the pandemic among the continent's overwhelmingly young population.
Excerpts from the UN Report
To meet MDG 4, sub-Saharan Africa will need to achieve an annual average reduction in under-five mortality of at least 8 percent per year for the next decade. Four high burden countries with stagnant U5MR in the 1990s – Tanzania, Malawi, and Ethiopia – have reported 25 to 30 percent reductions in U5MR over the past few years based on data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) released in the past year (Figure I.3). These statistics equate to annual reductions of over five percent and suggest that major decreases in child mortality can be achieved.
More than half of African babies who die do so at home. In some countries, such as Ethiopia, as few as five percent die in hospital.
Source;Un report
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