According to the first ever joint stillbirth estimates released by UNICEF, WHO, the World Bank Group and the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs , titled ‘A Neglected Tragedy: The Global Burden of Stillbirths’ , one stillbirth occurs every 16 seconds.
The widespread occurrence of stillbirths was attributed to poor quality of care during pregnancy and birth, as well as lack of investments in antenatal and intrapartum services and in strengthening the nursing and midwifery workforce.
“Losing a child at birth or during pregnancy is a devastating tragedy for a family, one that is often endured quietly, yet all too frequently, around the world.
“Every 16 seconds, a mother somewhere will suffer the unspeakable tragedy of stillbirth. Beyond the loss of life, the psychological and financial costs for women, families and societies are severe and long lasting. For many of these mothers, it simply didn’t have to be this way. A majority of stillbirths could have been prevented with high quality monitoring, proper antenatal care and a skilled birth attendant”, said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director.
The report warns that the COVID-19 pandemic could worsen the global number of stillbirths. The new estimates show that a 50 per cent reduction in health services due to the pandemic could cause nearly 200 000 additional stillbirths over a 12-month period in 117 low- and middle-income countries. This corresponds to an increase in the number of stillbirths by 11.1 per cent.
According to the WHO, over 40 per cent of stillbirths occur during labour. A loss, the organization believes could be avoided with access to a trained health worker at childbirth and timely emergency obstetric care.
The WHO further indicated that about half of stillbirths in sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia occur during labour, compared to 6 per cent in Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand.
The WHO stated that despite advances in health services to prevent or treat causes of child death, progress in lowering the stillbirth rate has been slow. From 2000 to 2019, the annual rate of reduction in the stillbirth rate was just 2.3 per cent, compared to a 2.9 per cent reduction in neonatal mortality, and 4.3 per cent in mortality among children aged 1–59 months. Progress, however, is possible with sound policy, programmes and investment.
“Welcoming a baby into the world should be a time of great joy, but every day, thousands of parents experience unbearable sadness because their babies are still born. The tragedy of stillbirth shows how vital it is to reinforce and maintain essential health services, and how critical it is to increase investment in nurses and midwives,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
The report also notes that stillbirth is not only a challenge for poor countries. In 2019, 39 high-income countries had a higher number of stillbirths than neonatal deaths and 15 countries had a higher number of stillbirths than infant deaths. A mother’s level of education is one of the greatest drivers of inequity in high-income countries.
“COVID-19 has triggered a devastating secondary health crisis for women, children and adolescents due to disruptions in life-saving health services. Pregnant women need continued access to quality care, throughout their pregnancy and during childbirth. We are supporting countries in strengthening their health systems to prevent stillbirths and ensure that every pregnant woman can access quality health care services”, said Muhammad Ali Pate, Global Director for Health, Nutrition and Population at the World Bank and Director of the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents.
