According to a report published recently, India has the highest number of deaths due to premature births, and ranks 36th in the list of pre-term births globally. The ranking included 199 countries.

Of the 27 million babies born in India annually (2010 figure), 3.6 million are born prematurely, of which 303,600 don't survive due to complications.

Nearly half of all child mortality is due to pre-term births, a new report by Save the Children, titled ‘Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Pre-term Birth' has revealed. The deaths due to pre-term births are second only to pneumonia, it notes.

In terms of deaths due to pre-term birth, India is at the top (indicating it fares the worst), while in terms of the rate of pre-term births, it is ranked 36th, after Malawi (ranked first), Pakistan (ranked eighth), Nepal (20th), and Bangladesh (24th), says the report......Read More

Source: The Hindu