India records highest number of new born deaths: UN

The study,which covers a 20-year-period and all the 193 WHO member states,found that new born deaths – characterised as deaths in the first four weeks of life (neonatal period) ¿ account for 41 per cent of all child deaths before the age of five.

Almost 99 per cent of the newborn deaths occur in the developing world,with more than half taking place in the five large countries of India,Nigeria,Pakistan,China and Congo.

“India alone has more than 900,000 newborn deaths per year,nearly 28 per cent of the global total,” WHO said,adding that India had the largest number of neonatal deaths throughout the study.

Nigeria,the world’s seventh most populous country,ranked second in new born deaths ¿ up from fifth in 1990. Three quarters of neonatal deaths around the world are caused by pre-term delivery,asphyxia and severe infections,such as sepsis and pneumonia.

WHO pointed out that two thirds or more of these deaths can be prevented with existing interventions.

The study,however,found that while fewer new borns are dying worldwide,the progress in child care is too slow and Africa in particular is being left further behind.

“The first week of life is the riskiest week for newborns,and yet many countries are only just beginning post-natal care programmes to reach mothers and babies at this critical time,” WHO said in a statement.

Africa saw the slowest progress of any region in the world,with a reduction of just one per cent per year,the agency said.

Among the 15 countries with more than 39 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births,12 were from the WHO African Region ¿ Angola,Burundi,Chad,the Central African Republic,Congo,Equatorial Guinea,Guinea,Guinea-Bissau,Mali,Mauritania,Mozambique,and Sierra Leone in addition to Afghanistan,Pakistan and Somalia.

At the current rate of progress,it would take the African continent more than 150 years to reach US or UK newborn survival levels,according to WHO.

WHO said that an increase in investment in health care for women and children in the last decade ¿ when the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals were set ¿ contributed to more rapid progress for the survival of mothers and children under the age of five than for newborns.

“Newborn survival is being left behind despite well-documented,cost-effective solutions to prevent these deaths,” WHO Assistant Director-General for Family,Women’s and Children’s Health Flavia Bustreo said.

“With four years to achieve the Millennium Development Goals,more attention and action for newborns is critical,” she said.