Infant mortality: South Asia

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India tops global list of 1st-day deaths of infants

Jayashree Nandi The Times of India 2013/05/07 The Times of India

More newborns die on the first day in India than in any other country, according to the latest ‘State Of The World’s Mothers ’ report. Every year, over 3,09,300 children (29% of the global share) in India don’t live beyond the first day because of complications associated with preterm birth, hygiene and maternal health, the report says.

The report by the United States-based Save the Children, which ranks 176 countries on maternal and child mortality, will release globally on Tuesday.

Despite being more populated, China ranks 4th and accounts for only 5% of the global share of first-day deaths. Nearly two-thirds of all first-day deaths occur in just 10 countries and most of these countries have very large populations like India and Indonesia.

Others high up on the list are Pakistan, Afghanistan and African nations like Nigeria and Ethiopia. Predictably, just 1% of the global first-day deaths occur in developed countries.

South Asia is particularly vulnerable because the region has only 14 doctors or nurses per 10,000 people, the report says. Other reasons include preterm deliveries, low birth weight (28% of babies in India are underweight) and stunting among women. Stunting refers to a height of less than 4ft 7. Early marriage and childbearing heightens the risk for babies further. In India 47% girls are married off by the age of 18.

India also fares very poorly in maternal health, with 56,000 maternal deaths per year. Pakistan, with 12,000 maternal deaths, is ranked right above India. Overall, India ranks 142 among 176 countries.