Babies Born In UK More Likely To Die In First Month Than Cuba and Latvia, UNICEF Report Finds | HuffPost Life

'The majority of these deaths are preventable.'

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Life editor at HuffPost UK

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Babies born in the United Kingdom are more likely to die in the first month than if they were born than Latvia, Lithuania, Cuba or Montenegro.

These were the results of a Unicef analysis - ’Every Child Alive’ - that found every year, 2.6 million babies around the world die before they are a month old.

The most dangerous place for a baby to be born was Pakistan, where one in 22 babies die within their first month. The safest place was Japan, where one in every 1,111 babies die within a month.

In the UK, one in every 385 babies die within the first month of being born.

“While we have more than halved the number of deaths among children under the age of five in the last quarter century, we have not made similar progress in ending deaths among children less than one month old,” said Henrietta H. Fore, UNICEF’s executive director. “Given that the majority of these deaths are preventable, clearly, we are failing the world’s poorest babies.”

UNICEF/UN0157432/Ayene

Globally, in low-income countries, the average newborn mortality rate is 27 deaths per 1,000 births, the report states.

In high-income countries, that rate is three deaths per 1,000. Newborns from the riskiest places to give birth are up to 50 times more likely to die than those from the safest places.

The report stated more than 80% of newborn deaths were due to prematurity, complications during birth or infections such as pneumonia and sepsis.

“These deaths can be prevented with access to well-trained midwives, along with proven solutions like clean water, disinfectants, breastfeeding within the first hour, skin-to-skin contact and good nutrition,” they stated.

“However, a shortage of well-trained health workers and midwives means that thousands don’t receive the life-saving support they need to survive.”

In response to the findings, Dr Clea Harmer, chief executive at Sands (Stillbirth and neonatal death charity), said: “The rate of babies dying in the first month of life in the UK has remained almost static for three years with little progress on reduction. Many of them are born too early in pregnancy, but we don’t always know how to prevent prematurity.

“Inequality continues to be an issue in England where there’s a noticeable north-south divide with the rate of babies who die in the first month of life in the north of England being almost double that of the rate in the south. Women who live in the most socially deprived areas are at higher risk of their newborns dying, and smoking is also a factor as 20% of women whose newborn dies are smokers.

“Fundamentally though we need more focus on delivering vulnerable babies in the right place with the right care if we want to save more lives.”

The report also noted that eight of the 10 most dangerous places to be born are in sub-Saharan Africa, where pregnant women are much less likely to receive assistance during delivery due to poverty, conflict and weak institutions.

“If every country brought its newborn mortality rate down to the high-income average by 2030, 16 million lives could be saved,” they wrote.

Highest newborn mortality rates:

1. Pakistan: 1 in 22

2. Central African Republic: 1 in 24

3. Afghanistan: 1 in 25

4. Somalia: 1 in 26

5. Lesotho: 1 in 26

6. Guinea-Bissau: 1 in 26

South Sudan: 1 in 26

8. Côte d’Ivoire: 1 in 27

9. Mali: 1 in 28

10. Chad: 1 in 28

Lowest newborn mortality rates:

1. Japan: 1 in 1,111

2. Iceland: 1 in 1,000

3. Singapore: 1 in 909

4. Finland: 1 in 833

5. Estonia: 1 in 769

5. Slovenia: 1 in 769

7. Cyprus: 1 in 714

8. Belarus: 1 in 667

8. Luxembourg: 1 in 667

8. Norway: 1 in 667

8. Republic of Korea: 1 in 667

UNICEF is launching the global campaign Every Child ALIVE to demand solutions on behalf of the world’s newborns. The charity is issuing an urgent appeal to governments, health care providers, donors, the private sector, families and businesses to keep every child alive by:

:: Recruiting, training, retaining and managing sufficient numbers of doctors, nurses and midwives with expertise in maternal and newborn care;

:: Guaranteeing clean, functional health facilities equipped with water, soap and electricity, within the reach of every mother and baby;

:: Making it a priority to provide every mother and baby with the life-saving drugs and equipment needed for a healthy start in life; and

:: Empowering adolescent girls, mothers and families to demand and receive quality care.

Before You Go

How To Help A Friend Through Miscarriage

Send Flowers(01 of15)

While not everyone is as open to talking about their feelings as I am, I think everyone loves to receive a bright bouquet of flowers –- it’s a nice way to say that you’re there for her, and you care, without forcing her to talk about her feelings. (credit:Getty)

Share Your Story(02 of15)

If you’ve gone through a similar experience, share your story with your grieving friend. While it’s unfortunate that miscarriage is so common, your friend can take comfort in not being alone. Knowing that others in their own network of friends have experienced the same thing makes it easier to work through the grieving process. (credit:Getty)

Pamper Her(03 of15)

There’s no better time for your friend to focus on taking care of themselves. A restful body will help to heal the mind. Gift your friend with a massage or a pedicure so she is forced to take time out to enjoy a little pampering. And if you can, join her! (credit:Getty)

Don’t Try To Tell Her That It'll All Be OK(04 of15)

Unfortunately, there isn’t really anything you can do to reassure your friend that they’ll feel better in a few weeks or months. It’s a grieving process –- one that affects everyone differently. All that you can do is lend an ear, hold a hand and wait it out with them. (credit:Getty)

Don't Pry(05 of15)

While you may be wondering what the doctors discovered or if your friend is going to try again -- wait for your friend to share those details with you. Don’t try to pry it out of her. She might not be ready to discuss the details with you yet, but if you let her know that you’re there for her and available if she wants to talk, then she will come to you when she's ready. (credit:Getty)

(06 of15)

1. Your fertility is mostly determined by genetics, which influences how many eggs you are born with. Doctors believe that the number of eggs you have at birth determines the length of time you will remain fertile. At birth, women have about two million eggs in their ovaries. For every egg ovulated during your reproductive life, about 1,000 eggs undergo programmed cell death. Other things, such as smoking cigarettes and certain types of chemotherapy, can accelerate egg cell death and promote an earlier menopause.

(07 of15)

2. Regular menstrual cycles are a sign of regular ovulation.Most women have regular cycles lasting between 24 and 35 days. This is usually a sign of regular, predictable ovulation. Women who do not ovulate regularly have irregular menstrual cycles. Those who do not ovulate at all may have a genetic condition called polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

(08 of15)

3. Basal temperature charting does not predict ovulation.An older method of tracking ovulation involves taking your oral body temperature each morning before getting out of bed. This is called basal body temperature. This method is used to spot a rise in basal temperature, which is a sign that progesterone is being produced. The main problem with using this method is that your temperature rises after ovulation has already occurred. This makes it more difficult to time intercourse at an optimal time for conception. A better method is to use over-the-counter urine ovulation predictor test kits such as Clearblue Easy. These kits test for the hormone that prompts ovulation, which is called luteinizing hormone (LH).

(09 of15)

4. Most women with blocked fallopian tubes are completely unaware they may have had a prior pelvic infection.About 10 percent of infertility cases are due to tubal disease, either complete blockage or pelvic scarring causing tubal malfunction. One major cause of tubal disease is a prior pelvic infection from a sexually transmitted disease such as chlamydia. These infections can cause so few symptoms that you may be completely unaware your tubes are affected. This is why fertility physicians will order a dye test of the tubes, called a hysterosalpingogram (HSG), if you have been trying and failing to conceive for 6 months or longer.

(10 of15)

5. In most cases, stress does not cause infertility. Except in rare cases of extreme physical or emotional distress, women will keep ovulating regularly. Conceiving while on vacation is likely less about relaxation than about coincidence and good timing of sex.

(11 of15)

6. By age 44, most women are infertile, even if they are still ovulating regularly. Even with significant fertility treatment, rates of conception are very low after age 43. Most women who conceive in their mid-40's with fertility treatment are using donated eggs from younger women.

(12 of15)

7. Having fathered a pregnancy in the past does not guarantee fertility. Sperm counts can change quite a bit with time, so never assume that a prior pregnancy guarantees fertile sperm. Obtaining a semen analysis is the only way to be sure the sperm are still healthy!

(13 of15)

8. For the most part, diet has little or nothing to do with fertility. Despite popular press, there is little scientific data showing that a particular diet or food promotes fertility. One limited study did suggest a Mediterranean diet with olive oil, fish and legumes may help promote fertility.

(14 of15)

9. Vitamin D may improve results of fertility treatments. A recent study from the University of Southern California suggested that women who were undergoing fertility treatments, but had low vitamin D levels, might have lower rates of conception. This vitamin is also essential during pregnancy. At Pacific Fertility Center, we recommend our patients take 2,000-4,000 IU per day.

(15 of15)

10. Being either underweight or overweight is clearly linked with lowered levels of fertility. The evidence in recent years is that obesity is clearly linked with a longer time to conception. Having a body mass index less than 18 or over 32 is associated with problems ovulating and conceiving, as well as problems during pregnancy.

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