The first 28 days of life – the neonatal period – is the most vulnerable time for a child’s survival. Children face the highest risk of dying in their first month of life at an average global rate of 17.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2024, down by 53 per cent from 36.6 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990. In comparison, the probability of dying after the first month and before ...
Newborn infections Neonatal infections are primarily bacterial in origin, and include pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis. Neonatal infections result in over 550 000 neonatal deaths every year. Most of these deaths can be averted by preventive measures, early diagnosis, timely care-seeking, treatment with appropriate antibiotics, and follow up.
A newborn infant, or neonate, refers to a baby in the first 28 days of life, a period marked by the highest risk of morbidity and mortality. Enhancing neonatal survival and health and preventing avoidable deaths and stillbirths requires achieving high coverage of quality antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, and postnatal care for both mothers and newborns. Neonatal deaths, which occur ...
However, the decline in neonatal mortality from 1990 to 2023 has been slower than that of post-neonatal under-5 mortality. Unfortunately, survival gains have stalled significantly since 2015, and 60 countries will fall short of meeting the SDG target for under-5 mortality and 65 countries will not achieve the SDG target for neonatal mortality.