Tag: Maternal health

The Silent Emergency: Urgent Action Needed to Address Preterm Birth Crisis

A medical practitioner uses a Mid Upper-Arm Circumference (MUAC) measuring tape on a boy being screened for malnutrition at Ma’abar Hospital, Dhamar governorate, Yemen, Monday 13 March 2017. As of March 2017, children in Yemen are living on the brink of famine and widespread malnutrition has drastically increased their risk of disease. More than half of Yemen’s medical facilities are no longer functional and the health system is on the verge of collapse. Families’ coping mechanisms in Yemen are being stretched to their limit as the war enters its third year risking a total collapse in resilience. The poorest country in the Middle East is facing an economic, social and humanitarian crisis as never before. Around one in three children (2.2 million individuals) under the age of five in Yemen are malnourished, of whom 1.7 million are suffering from moderate acute malnutrition and 462,000 are suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM). A child suffering from SAM is around ten times more at risk of death than a healthy child if not treated in time. UNICEF is scaling up its humanitarian response, including supporting the treatment of 323,000 children against severe acute malnutrition and providing basic healthcare services to one million children and over half a million pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.

Immediate action is needed to address the silent emergency of preterm birth, as persistent rates and regional disparities threaten millions of babies worldwide, calling for increased investments, policy implementation, and support for affected families.” Preterm birth, a global crisis affecting millions of babies and their families, remains a silent emergency. According to a recent report… Continue reading The Silent Emergency: Urgent Action Needed to Address Preterm Birth Crisis