Stillbirth

In News

A new study has found that countries with higher rates of stillborn babies had higher amounts of fine particulate air pollution.

Key Findings

• India leads the list with the highest average number of stillbirths — 217,000 out of 25 million births each year.
• India was followed by Pakistan (110,000), Nigeria (93,000), China (64,000) and Bangladesh (49,000).
• The highest fraction of stillbirths attributable to particulate matter (PM) 2.5 pollution are:
  • Qatar (71.16 per cent); 
  • Saudi Arabia (68.38 per cent); 
  • Kuwait (66.08 per cent); 
  • Niger (65.68 per cent) and 
  • the United Arab Emirates (64.63 per cent)
• South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Arabian Desert were hotspots of PM 2.5-related stillbirths due to high exposure and baseline stillbirth rate.
• The study covered 137 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, where 98 percent of stillbirths occurred.

About Stillbirth 

• A stillbirth is the death or loss of a baby before or during delivery. 
• Both miscarriage and stillbirth describe pregnancy loss, but they differ according to when the loss occurs. 
• World Health Organization’s Classification : A baby who dies after 28 weeks of pregnancy, but before or during birth, is classified as a stillbirth.
• Concerns:
  • There are nearly 2 million stillbirths every year, one each 16 seconds.
  • Over 40 percent of all stillbirths occur during labour.
• Prevention:
  • Improved quality and respectful care during childbirth.
  • Routine monitoring and timely access to emergency obstetric care when required.

Source: DTE