Health Experts Gather In Seattle To Address Pre-Term, Still Births Worldwide

Despite technologies that help keep premature babies alive, more than one million of them die each year and another three million are stillborn throughout the world, the Seattle Times reports. A group of international health experts gathering this week in Seattle are looking for ways to save premature babies in developed and developing countries.  

Prematurity and still birth "happens to women in Seattle and Sri Lanka," said Craig Rubens, executive director of the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS) – a group launched in 2007 with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, Save the Children and other organizations.  Rubens added, "It happens to women who go to every prenatal appointment, and it happens to women who simply cannot see a doctor while they are pregnant."

According to Joy Lawn of Save the Children, prematurity and stillbirth collectively outnumber the loss of life from malaria, tuberculosis or AIDS, yet are often overlooked by researchers and the public.

While developing countries may lack the "$30,000 respirators and round-the-clock medical care" developed nations may have, there are simple steps that can help to improve the survival of newborns and their mothers. According to the Seattle Times, protein and zinc supplements can reduce rates of stillbirth; keeping mothers malaria-free can lead to the birth of healthier babies; and breast-feeding preemies within the first hour of birth can boost survival rates. Despite relatively simple steps to help mothers and infants, health experts say the main challenge is to reach women in countries where there are few healthcare workers and little money for care (Doughton, Seattle Times, 5/9).