Studies published yesterday by The Lancet showed that Nigeria ranked second in the global rates of stillbirths.
The report said over 3,000 lives are lost to stillbirth a day across the world, most of which are preventable. Pakistan ranked first while Chad ranked third. Two-thirds of last year’s 2.6 million stillbirths were in Africa.
Half of stillbirths happen during labour as a result of preventable conditions, notably syphilis and malaria, the report added. The studies argue stillbirths are preventable through high-quality antenatal care.
The studies said there is a widespread belief that stillbirths are due to birth defects and are unavoidable. However, it pointed out that this only accounts for 7.3% of stillbirths after 28 weeks. A notable exception is Rwanda, which the studies point out was able to reduce the number of stillbirths.
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