PAHO launches mission as 255 infants die every day in Caribbean and Latin America

Pan American Health Organization stated that 255 less than a month old babies die every day in the Caribbean and Latin America every day. Following these extensive numbers, PAHO released a detailed guide on how to take care of a baby lesser than 28 days old.

Through its Latin American Centre for Perinatology (CLAP), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has initiated a campaign to raise awareness and encourage quality care for babies during their first 28 days of life, when the risk of infant mortality is highest.

The campaign named "28 Days, Time to Care and Love" aims to improve the knowledge, skills, and self-confidence of new parents, as well as raise awareness among health professionals about the importance of appropriate care practises in reducing infant mortality.

It includes skin-to-skin contact, exclusive nursing, keeping the umbilical cord clean and dry, and providing vitamin K at birth are all examples of these behaviours.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, 7 out of 1,000 infants do not survive their first month. This rate ranges from 1.7 newborns in Aruba to 2.3 in Cuba, and from 18 in the Dominican Republic to 32 in Haiti. Despite the fact that the majority of these deaths are preventable, they account for approximately half of all deaths among children under the age of one.

Dr. Pablo Durán, PAHO's regional advisor on perinatal health, remarked, "Universal access to timely and excellent care for women and newborns, as well as family involvement in infant care, are crucial for babies to survive and thrive."

Throughout the month of February, PAHO will publish 28 critical messages and testimonies relating to newborn care as part of the campaign.

PAHO will also release an app for parents, families, caregivers, and health workers with advice on infant care, as well as a ten-step blueprint for policymakers to help them design policies to promote newborn health in the Americas.