Newborn Health Information SNEAK PEEK!   Browse newborn health resources including advocacy briefs, epidemiology, data, training tools, country profiles and more. Stay tuned for more in early 2008…  Newborn health: an opportunity to save lives worldwide Each year, nearly 4 million newborns die around the world – more than the combined number of annual deaths from AIDS and malaria.  This single statistic threatens the achievement of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goal 4:  a 2/3 reduction in the number of children who die from preventable and treatable causes by the year 2015.  Although overall child mortality rates have dropped in the past decade, newborns continue to die at alarmingly high rates.  Unless newborn death rates are curbed by at least half, 2015 will be just another year where far too many young lives will be lost for lack of political will.    There is hope: inexpensive, practical health interventions do exist.  If programs delivering such interventions were set up in countries with high newborn mortality rates, 60 percent of newborn deaths could be averted each year.      Why, when, and where do newborns die? Infections, birth asphyxia and preterm birth cause 85% of newborn deaths worldwide. Three out of four newborn deaths take place during childbirth and the first week thereafter, the postnatal period.   The vast majority (99%) of newborn deaths occur in low and middle-income countries, mostly in poor, remote communities.   Source: Lawn JE, Cousens S, Zupan J. 4 million neonatal deaths: when? Where? Why? Lancet 2005; 365(9462):891-900 World leaders care about newborns In recent years, a number of governments and donor agencies have turned their focus to the plight of newborns.  Their attention and funding provide an unprecedented opportunity to reach millions more mothers and newborns with essential health coverage. What are people saying about newborn health?  “No investment in global health has a greater return than saving the life of a child.” Melinda Gates, Co-founder, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation  “The health of mothers, newborns and children represents the well-being of society.  We must now work together to support national governments in operationalizing programs and advancing newborn health in the context of strengthening health systems that work for mothers, newborns and children.”  Dr. Francisco Songane, Director, Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health  “Africa’s newborns are Africa’s future, our best opportunity.”  Honorable Ambassador Dr. Gertrude I. Mongella, President, Pan-African Parliament, African Union  “The newborn is the nexus of the continuum of care.  Systematic attention to strengthening and scaling up newborn care within national plans and programs will pay off in improved maternal, newborn and child services.”  Professor E. Oluwole Akande, Chair, African Regional Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Task Force  “I am optimistic that the revivification of child survival as a global goal will succeed.”  Richard Horton, Editor, The Lancet Growing commitment for saving newborn lives A string of recent events and publications continues to fuel the growing momentum for advancing maternal, newborn and child health.   Highlighted event:   Women Deliver, October 18-20, 2007 Women Deliver is a landmark global conference that will focus on creating political will to save the lives and improve the health of women, mothers and newborn babies around the world. It will be held October 18-20, 2007, at the ExCel Centre in London.   Low-cost tools and services can save newborn lives Less than one U.S. dollar per capita each year would deliver the following essential interventions to 90 percent of mothers and babies in high-mortality countries: Antenatal care for pregnant women:  Tetanus immunization, management of complications and infections—including HIV/AIDS—and promotion of good nutrition Childbirth care:  Clean delivery, skilled birth attendance and newborn resuscitation Postnatal care: Immediate and exclusive breastfeeding, keeping the newborn dry and warm, clean cord care, special care for small babies and treatment of infections Source: Darmstadt GL, Cousens S, Walker D, Lawn JE, Bhutta ZA, Haws RA.  Increasing resources to save newborn lives.  2006.   Advancing newborn health care Save the Children’s Saving Newborn Lives program, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, works in partnership with 18 countries to reduce newborn mortality and improve newborn health.   Save the Children helps provide the evidence that through innovative, practical and affordable programs, governments and partners can deliver life-saving interventions to mothers and newborns in even the remotest of settings.   Countries where Saving Newborn Lives works: Africa:  Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Vietnam Latin America: Bolivia, Guatemala