Newborn Survival and Health
THE CHALLENGE
More than one-third of all child deaths throughout the world occur in the first 28 days of life. These few weeks (called the neonatal period) account for up to 70 percent of all infant deaths in some countries. While the public health community has had dramatic success during the last decade in reducing the mortality of children under five years of age and has focused increasingly on the vulnerable first year of life as an important key to this battle, there has been little or no impact on newborns. Further reduction in child mortality in order to achieve Millennium Development Goal #4 depends to a large extent on increased attention to the critical neonatal period.
KEY INTERVENTIONS
The well being of the newborn is inextricably linked to support for the health of mothers, before, during, and after delivery.Essential newborn care comprises basic preventive care, including clean delivery practices, clean eye and cord care, temperature maintenance, and early and exclusive breastfeeding; early detection of danger signs; and treatment of key problems, such as sepsis and birth asphyxia, which are the leading causes of mortality in the neonatal period.
It is essential to integrate and promote newborn health into a full range of existing programs, such as: maternal and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and PMTCT, integrated management of childhood illnesses, and nutrition and health. Furthermore, emphasis must be placed on supporting the continuity of care by linking care settings. These include maternal, newborn, and child health; household, community, and facility care; and preventive and curative care.