200,000 children born premature annually - report

Kampala. A new report released by Save the Children, a non-governmental organisation, has revealed that 226,000 children born every year in Uganda are below the normal 37 weeks of gestation. This is an equivalent of more than 18 per cent of the total deaths.
The findings were revealed by Save the Children programmes manager Santa Engol during celebrations to mark the World Prematurity Day at Naguru Referral Hospital in Kampala last Friday.
Ms Engol said the increasing number of premature births is caused by various issues which include having a previous premature baby, pregnancy with twins, triplets or other multiples.
“The number of premature births is worrying. Parents ought to be very careful about it. The major cause is negligent parents who indulge in dubious practices such as smoking and using illicit drugs. Poor nutrition and problems with the uterus are some of the other causes, some infections and chronic diseases such as high blood pressure,” she said.

Emergency measures
However, Ms Engol said children born before their date of birth can live again if the parents keep them close to their bodies and provide the natural warmth, a phenomenon that is borrowed from the kangaroo.
“The kangaroo produces all their young ones prematurely, that is why they have the porch. All parents should borrow from the kangaroo and the deaths will reduce,we call it the kangaroo mother unit. It is provided to mothers who give birth to premature children,” she said.

According to Mr Emmanuel Batiirwe, the director of Naguru Referral Hospital, 38 per cent to 40 per cent of the births every year in Uganda are premature.
“This number has been escalating significantly but this change could be shifted if parents became more careful with their children,” Mr Batiirwe said.

Statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicate that 15 million children who are born every year worldwide are pre-term cases. Most affected countries are those in sub-Saharan Africa.
WHO ranks Uganda 13th out of 184 countries for highest number of babies born prematurely and 11th for number deaths due to complications from preterm birth.

Couple’s experience

Peter and Catherine Otiang’s first born twins were born premature five months ago, and the couple says it has not been easy.
“The hospital was very challenging because most of the children that had been taken there died. One of our children was born almost lifeless but we thank God she came back to life,” Ms Otiang says.

The couple says they have since spent more than Shs1.5m on providing extra care to the two infants.
“We stayed in the intensive care unit for a month, a lot of money was spent but we had to take care of the situation. We had to use at least 10 pampers on each of the children every day, buying small towels because every time the child urinates, they have to be changed. They have to be in a warm environment always,” Ms Otiang says.

However the WHO recommends that in such cases, one ought to use the kangaroo mother care for the babies born below the weight of 2kgs. b
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