According to the first joint UN estimate, one stillbirth occurs every 16 seconds

Nearly 2 million babies are born each year – or 1 every 16 seconds – according to the first joint stillbirth estimates released by UNICEF, WHO, the World Bank Group and the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

The vast majority of stillbirths, 84 percent, occur in low- and lower-middle-income countries, according to a new report, A Neglected Tragedy: The Global Burden of the Stillborn. In 2019, 3 out of 4 stillbirths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia. A stillborn baby is defined in the report as a baby born without signs of life in the 28th or more weeks of pregnancy.

“The loss of a child at birth or during pregnancy is a disastrous tragedy for the family, which is often endured peacefully, but too often, around the world,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “Every 16 seconds, the mother will suffer an unspeakable tragedy of stillbirths somewhere. In addition to the loss of life, the psychological and financial costs to women, families, and societies are serious and long-lasting. For many of these mothers, it just didn’t have to be that way. Most stillbirths could be prevented by high-quality follow-up, appropriate antenatal care, and skilled delivery. “

The report warns that the COVID-19 pandemic could worsen the global number of stillbirths. A 50 percent reduction in health services due to the pandemic could cause nearly 200,000 additional stillbirths over a 12-month period in 117 low- and middle-income countries. This corresponds to an increase in the number of stillbirths by 11.1 percent. According to a model developed for the report by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 13 countries could record a 20 percent or more increase in stillbirths over a 12-month period.

Most stillbirths are born due to poor quality of care during pregnancy and childbirth. Lack of investment in antenatal and inpatient services and in strengthening the nursing and midwifery workforce are key challenges, the report said.

Over 40 percent of stillbirths are born during childbirth – a loss that could have been avoided by accessing a trained healthcare professional at birth and timely emergency obstetric care. Approximately half of stillbirths in sub-Saharan Africa and Central and South Asia occur during childbirth, compared with 6 percent in Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand.

Even before the pandemic caused critical disruptions in health services, few women in low- and middle-income countries received timely and high-quality care to prevent stillbirths. Half of the 117 countries analyzed in the report cover coverage ranging from a minimum of two percent to a maximum of 50 percent for 8 important maternal health interventions such as C-section, malaria prevention, treatment of hypertension in pregnancy, and detection and treatment of syphilis. It is estimated that coverage of assisted vaginas – a critical intervention for the prevention of stillbirths during childbirth – reaches less than half of pregnant women in need.

As a result, despite advances in health services in preventing or treating the causes of infant death, progress in reducing stillbirth rates has been slow. From 2000 to 2019, the annual rate of reduction in the stillbirth rate was only 2.3 percent, compared with a 2.9 percent reduction in neonatal mortality and 4.3 percent mortality in children aged 1 to 59 months. However, progress is possible through sound policies, programs and investments.

“Welcoming a baby into the world should be a time of great joy, but every day thousands of parents experience unbearable sadness because their babies are still being born,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “The stillbirth tragedy shows how vital it is to strengthen and maintain key health services and how important it is to increase investment in nurses and midwives.”

The report also notes that stillbirth is not just a challenge for poor countries. In 2019, 39 high-income countries had a higher number of stillbirths than neonatal deaths, and 15 countries had a higher number of stillbirths than infant deaths. Maternal education levels are one of the biggest drivers of inequality in high-income countries.

And in low- and high-income environments, the stillbirth rate is higher in rural than in urban areas. Socioeconomic status is also associated with a higher incidence of stillbirths. For example, in Nepal, women in minority castes had stillbirth rates between 40 and 60 percent higher than women in the upper caste.

Ethnic minorities, especially in high-income countries, may not have access to sufficient quality health care. The report states, for example, that it has been observed that Inuit populations in Canada have stillbirth rates almost three times higher than the rest of Canada, and African American women in the United States have almost double the risk of stillbirth compared to white women.

“COVID-19 has triggered a devastating secondary health crisis for women, children and adolescents due to disruptions in life-saving health services,” said Muhammad Ali Pate, World Bank’s Global Director of Health, Nutrition and Population and Director of the Global Women’s Finance Facility. children and adolescents. “Pregnant women need a continuous approach to quality care, throughout pregnancy and during childbirth. We support countries in strengthening their health systems to prevent stillbirths and ensure that every pregnant woman can access quality health services.

The report link will be published after 00.01. GMT, October 8: http://uni.cf/stillbirthreport

O UN IGME

The United Nations Interagency Group on Child Mortality Assessment or UN IGME was established in 2004 to exchange data on child mortality, improve methods for estimating child mortality, report on progress in achieving child survival goals and strengthen government capacity for timely and properly assessed child mortality estimates. . The UN IGME is run by UNICEF and includes the World Health Organization, the World Bank Group and the United Nations Population Division of the Economic and Social Affairs Division. For more information visit: http://www.childmortality.org/

For more information or to set up interviews with the authors of the report, mothers and midwives, please contact the listed media contacts.