Improving survival of preterm babies in low- to middle-income countries – what can we do?

dc.contributor.authorNaidoo, Harishia
dc.contributor.authorDe Witt-Jordaan, T.W. (Wilma)
dc.contributor.authorCoetzee, Melantha
dc.date.accessioned2019-07-12T08:28:24Z
dc.date.available2019-07-12T08:28:24Z
dc.date.issued2018-09
dc.description.abstractSurviving prematurity poses the greatest challenge in neonatal care in low- to middle-income countries (LMICs). South Africa has not made much progress in improving the survival of preterm babies. Neonatal survival of preterm infants has become a national priority since the serious failure to reach the Millennium Development Goal targets in 2015. High rates of prevention are particularly relevant in LMICs, where the neonatal mortality rate is at its highest owing to a lack of simple and effective measures. Preventing prematurity and related complications begins with a healthy pregnancy. Antenatal care and maternal corticosteroids are antenatal interventions that could improve the survival of preterm babies. Postnatal interventions include: the management of neonatal sepsis, meningitis and pneumonia; prevention of hypothermia after delivery, for example, the plastic bag/wrap and cap, which has been extensively researched and is found to be an effective, low-cost method for reducing hypothermia in preterm infants; the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), including the low-cost CPAP device, which is a cost-effective strategy for providing respiratory support for premature neonates with respiratory distress syndrome; exogenous surfactant; early feeding with breastmilk; and kangaroo mother care. The use of cost-effective, evidence-based interventions can be implemented in LMICs to reduce neonatal mortality.en_ZA
dc.description.departmentPaediatrics and Child Healthen_ZA
dc.description.librarianam2019en_ZA
dc.description.urihttp://www.sajch.org.za/index.php/SAJCHen_ZA
dc.identifier.citationNaidoo, H., Coetzee, M. & De Witt-Jordaan, W. 2018, 'Improving survival of preterm babies in low- to middle-income countries – what can we do?', South African Journal of Child Health, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 117-120.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn1994-3032 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1999-7671 (obline)
dc.identifier.other10.7196/SAJCH.2018.v12i3.1503
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/70693
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherHealth and Medical Publishing Groupen_ZA
dc.rights© 2019 Health and Medical Publishing Group. This open-access article is distributed under Creative Commons licence CC-BY-NC 4.0.en_ZA
dc.subjectAntenatal care (ANC)en_ZA
dc.subjectMortalityen_ZA
dc.subjectHypothermiaen_ZA
dc.subjectPreterm infantsen_ZA
dc.subjectLow- and middle-income countries (LMICs)en_ZA
dc.subjectContinuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)en_ZA
dc.titleImproving survival of preterm babies in low- to middle-income countries – what can we do?en_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA

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