More Than 3 Million Stillbirths Per Year Worldwide

Researchers call these deaths unnecessary, under-reported

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TUESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Each year, an estimated 3.2 million stillbirths occur worldwide, according to a new study involving data from 103 countries in all regions of the world.

Investigators from the United States and South Africa also noted that under-reporting of stillbirths remains a major problem, and countries where stillbirth risk is highest have the least useable and most outdated data. Therefore, the actual number of stillbirths could be as high as 4.1 million annually.

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Rates of stillbirth ranged from five per 1,000 births in rich countries to 32 per 1,000 in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Egypt is an example of a low-income country that has credible evidence of a decline in stillbirth rates, which is closely linked to a decline in maternal mortality, the study said.

The findings were published in the May 3 online issue of The Lancet.

"Our estimates suggest that 3.2 million babies are born dead every year, and the true figure is probably higher, given the limitations of the available data and the fact that stillbirths are under-reported," the study authors wrote.

"Better counting is not just for better epidemiology. The deaths of most of these babies are avoidable ... in the 21st century we invest in detailing the human genome, but cannot even approximately count this huge number of dead babies. We are left to wonder if stillbirths count," the team said.

In a Viewpoint article in the same issue of The Lancet, researchers say more urgency is needed if Millennium Development Goal 4 for child survival is to reached by 2015. They emphasized four points:

• Governments and partners to work together to develop country action plans in all high mortality countries by the end of 2007, with an overall strategy of how governments plan to reduce deaths in newborn babies.
• Improved integration of newborn health with other relevant programs, such as maternal and child health.
• Governmental commitment and leadership to ensure plans are translated into actions, with the support of international partners.
• Donors and national governments to invest strategically in maternal, neonatal, and child care as a basis for development and for achieving the goals.

More information

The March of Dimes has more about stillbirth (www.marchofdimes.com ).

-- Robert Preidt