As many as 450,000 lives could be saved each year by taking a cue from marsupials. If parents of premature babies in poor countries were to continuously carry infants against the skin in “kangaroo pouches” and increase breastfeeding and regular medical monitoring, we might save more of the 15 million babies born too soon each year. That is the message from the most comprehensive global survey of premature births yet.
Most premature births are in poor countries — two-thirds in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa alone. Yet only 10 percent of premature newborns survive there, compared with 90 percent in rich nations. Research has shown that the Kangaroo Mother Care technique could save almost half of the 1.1 million babies that die after premature birth each year.
“It’s about keeping the babies warm, breastfeeding, and treating any new infections with antibiotics,” says Joy Lawn, lead author of a new report by a group including the World Health Organization.
Already used in South Africa and Malawi, a scale-up of the technique is under way in Tanzania, Rwanda and Ghana. The report found that premature births are increasing in rich countries because of obesity, smoking, IVF and older women having babies, and in poor countries owing to malnutrition, teen pregnancy and lack of contraception, which means women tend to have babies closer together, increasing the chances of premature births.
–Â Andy Coghlan, New Scientist Magazine
