A shocking number of babies day every day in Nigeria from preventable infections
– Health ministry official reveals that 700 babies day every day in Nigeria.
– She said these babies mostly die due to a lack of basic hygiene facilities and practices.
– A campaign to reduce the high infant mortality rate will be launched by the federal government.
More than 700 babies die every day in Nigeria due to lack of basic hygiene facilities and practices, according to a federal health ministry official.
Mrs. Evelyn Agbanyi said the major causes of neonatal deaths in Nigeria are low birth weight, birth asphyxia and infections, which account for more than 80% of infant deaths.
Agbanyim, who spoke at an awareness seminar in Awka on how to stem the tide of neonatal mortality in Nigeria, attributed the high death rate to ignorance, poor funding, and the ineffective application of life-saving neonatal commodities for women and children.
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According to her, the federal government will launch a campaign aimed at policy makers, religious and traditional rulers, professional associations, regulatory bodies and the media.
“Over the last decade, progress in addressing the high rate of neonatal mortality in Nigeria has been rather slow due to skills gap, poor referral network, inadequate training of health personnel, poor policy implementation and inadequate supply of the commodities,” she said.
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Agbanyim said that the campaign will significantly reduce neonatal mortality, but more funding needs to be secured for it to be successful.
She said that despite previous interventions in the past crucial hygiene commodities remain unavailable and unaffordable to the most vulnerable people in Nigeria.
She added that one of the major barriers of access to essential healthcare services in Nigeria are commodity shortages and inequitable distribution of health workers where they are most needed.
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Nigeria has one of the world’s highest infant morality rates, with the country being the 9th most deadly nation on earth for newborn children.
According to the United Nations, between 2010-2015 seventy-six out of every 1000 child born died in infancy.
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