Pneumonia and birth complications killed 2 million children in 2013 globally

By: Editorial Team | | Updated: October 1, 2014 1:47 pm

Also Read - Genes linked to common brain disorder, Chiari 1 malformation, identified

Also Read - Pregnancy complications: What can you do to reduce risk of premature labour?

According to a new study published in The Lancet, pneumonia and pre-mature births contribute to maximum number of deaths in children under the age of 5 years. These two factors accounted for about 2 million children deaths in 2013, becoming the leading cause of death. Also Read - Kids turning hypertensive: Get your child screened for early detection

The report also suggested that 51.8% death in children were due to infectious diseases including pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria. Among all the countries India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of Congo and China had the highest numbers of child deaths, together contributing to around half of all child and neonatal deaths globally in 2013.

As far as birth complications are concerned, the researchers team Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, US lead by led by Professor Robert Black, found that they form the largest single cause of child deaths, with complications at childbirth (intrapartum complications) accounting for 662 000 deaths.

The researchers noted that millions of children die due to causes that are preventable with cost-effective interventions. Therefore, there is a lot of scope to bring about an improvement through the Millennium Development Goals effort.

According to Union Nations report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 2014, India had the highest number of under-five deaths in the world in 2012, with 1.4 million children dying before reaching their fifth birthday. While this number is surely alarming, there is a lot that can be done during the prenatal phase to counter infant deaths, such as what happened in Malad recently. Some of the most common causes that lead to early infant death are as follows:

Premature birth: It is usually said that a full-term baby is birthed between 39 or 40 weeks of gestation. The later the baby is born the better is her chance of survival. A premature baby is born within 37 weeks of gestation. Premature birth is one of the prime causes of neonatal death, globally. Complications and consequences that result from a premature birth make it difficult for the baby to triumph all odds and get on track for survival. These complications can include respiratory disorders, weak lungs that might not be able to keep the small air sacs inside from collapsing; intarventricular hemorrhage or bleeding in the brain that can lead to death, intestinal problems that can lead to severe bowel movements and subsequent death and infections; a host of infections can attack the immature immune system and result in fatalities.

Sudden infant death syndrome: The name itself suggests that this situation occurs when the baby dies due to an unexplained reason. But experts still feel that there is a co-relation between SIDS and a baby s sleep pattern. Though there isn t any concrete explanation about what causes SIDS, many studies and experts opinions point out that babies who are made to sleep on their tummy or their sides during the first month of their life find it difficult to breathe because of their airways being compressed. Learn more about the reasons behind this unfortunate phenomenon called SIDS.

Birth defects: Congenital defects or birth defects are another factor that induces early infant death. Though a lot of prenatal tests and diagnosis today helps to curb the problem or at least prepare for its consequences early, major defects often go undetected inflating infant mortality rates. (Read: 5 reasons that lead to early infant death)

With inputs from ANI

Photo source: Getty images

You may also like to read:

For more on children’s health check out our children’s health section, respectively. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And for health-related queries, visit our Questions and Answers section.

Published : October 1, 2014 1:40 pm | Updated:October 1, 2014 1:47 pm

Read Disclaimer