Most of the stillbirths occurring today around the world are preventable, according to researchers and doctors from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Their study, published in the latest issue of the medical journal The Lancet, said the ways to prevent stillbirths are well-known and should be implemented across the world.
Stillbirths refer to deaths that take place in the mother's womb after the completion of two trimesters (28 weeks). Around the world, there were 2.6 million stillbirths in 2015 and nearly 98 percent of them took place in poor or developing countries. Nearly half of all stillbirths take place during labor.
When compared with neonatal deaths, maternal deaths and child deaths, the annual rate of reduction in the number of stillbirths has not quite been comparable. Therefore, a lot of effort is needed to set this right.
Joy Lawn, one of the leaders of the study from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "We must give a voice to the mothers of 7,200 babies stillborn around the world every day. There is a common misperception that many of the deaths are inevitable, but our research shows most stillbirths are preventable."
The study emphasized that stillbirths are not that difficult to control by properly monitoring the development of the fetus in the womb. The most important thing is to make sure that pregnant women have access to hygienic resources, according to a press release regarding the study.
