Most stillbirths are preventable: Lancet
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London: More than half of the 2.6 million stillbirths that occur globally every year are actually preventable, according to new research published in the journal The Lancet.
Ten countries account for two-thirds of stillbirths with India having the highest number, estimated at 592,100 in 2015, according to the new estimates of stillbirth rates by the World Health Organisation.
Despite significant reductions in the number of maternal and child deaths, there has been little change in the number of stillbirths even though the majority are preventable, the study said.
Half of all stillbirths occur during labour and birth, usually after a full nine month pregnancy, and the research highlighted that most of these deaths could be prevented with improved quality of care.
"We must give a voice to the mothers of 7,200 babies stillborn around the world every day. There is a common misperception that many of the deaths are inevitable, but our research shows most stillbirths are preventable," said one of the researchers Joy Lawn from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Ten countries account for two-thirds of stillbirths with India having the highest number, estimated at 592,100 in 2015, according to the new estimates of stillbirth rates by the World Health Organisation.
Despite significant reductions in the number of maternal and child deaths, there has been little change in the number of stillbirths even though the majority are preventable, the study said.
Half of all stillbirths occur during labour and birth, usually after a full nine month pregnancy, and the research highlighted that most of these deaths could be prevented with improved quality of care.
"We must give a voice to the mothers of 7,200 babies stillborn around the world every day. There is a common misperception that many of the deaths are inevitable, but our research shows most stillbirths are preventable," said one of the researchers Joy Lawn from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
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