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Kenya

Preterm birth complications leading cause of death among children under-five

Professor Marleen Temmerman, Chair of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Aga Khan University Hospital and Chair of the PTBi Symposium added that Kenya was ranked position 15 in the world for preterm birth rates.

She revealed that every year 15 million children are ‘born too soon’ in the world.

According to Prof Temmerman, pre-term births remain the leading cause of death among new born babies in the Sub-Saharan region and the second cause of death in children under five.

“The major burden of preterm birth is in this part of the world and we have to do more research to see how we can deliver better,” she said.

A full term pregnancy is 40 weeks while a premature birth occurs before 37 weeks.

Only 10 percent of children born before the 28th week survive in low income countries compared to 90 percent in high income countries.

Babies born too early may not be fully developed and can have serious health problems at birth.

While some of them lose their lives, others develop complications that can last a lifetime.

The risk of health problems is greatest for babies born before 34 weeks of pregnancy.

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The PTBi Symposium brings together policy makers and researchers from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and the United States.

PTBi East Africa will be working in selected sites in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda to reduce morbidity and mortality from preterm birth by strengthening facility-based care from pregnancy through labour, delivery and immediate postnatal period.

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