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August 31st, 2011
09:49 AM ET
U.S. ranks low for newborn survivalBabies born in Cuba, Malaysia, Portugal, and the United Kingdom have a better chance of surviving the first month compared to those born in the United States, according to researchers at the World Health Organization and Save the Children. In a 20 year analysis of newborn death rates around the world, the study published in PLoS Medicine revealed the number of infants who die before they are 4 weeks old account for 41% of child deaths worldwide. Newborn deaths in the United States ranked 41 out of 45 among industrialized countries, on par with Qatar and Croatia. America's low ranking among modern nations may come as surprise to many who regard the U.S. health care system as the best in the world. Researchers say preterm delivery (delivering before 37 weeks) plays a role in the United State's lower ranking. “Prenatal care is not all created equal. There are areas of the United States where access to prenatal and preventive care is a real problem. It puts the mother at a disadvantage and contributes to premature births and death rate,” says the study’s author Dr. Joy Lawn of the non-government organization Save the Children. The study says the leading causes of newborn death worldwide are preterm delivery, asphyxia and severe infections. More than a half million babies in the United States—1 in every 8—are born premature each year. The United States has seen a 26% reduction in newborn deaths since 1990, but that number is lower than the global average. “We have seen the numbers come down in the U.S. but at a notably slower rate than other countries,” says Lawn. “We actually found 50 countries, including China, have dropped their newborn death rate by more than 50% in the last 20 years.” Half of the 3.3 million newborn deaths around the world occur in just five countries: Pakistan, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, India, and Nigeria. But researchers say the newborn death rates in these regions can be decreased by utilizing known interventions: Improving hygiene when a baby is born, breastfeeding and keeping babies warm after birth. “Society often thinks people won’t change their behaviors, but that’s not true. These mothers want their babies to survive, too. They just don’t know better right now,” says Lawn. Health experts say simply teaching midwives and community workers in Africa and South Asia proper hygiene care and how to properly wrap the baby can limit infections and have a profound impact on death rates. Also teaching “kangaroo mother care,” which is when a mother ties the newborn baby to their chest, can cut the number of deaths in half, according to Save the Children. |
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Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love. |
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Very sad.
Well, maybe it has something to do with all the junk people eat down there on a regular basis, and the life style and 'medications' people take.
"America's low ranking among modern nations may come as surprise to many who regard the U.S. health care system as the best in the world."
Yeah, but those people are obnoxious and stupid.
Dear kids …Someone once told me that in times of adversity or when you're feeinlg down, struggle is an opportunity.Remember the rainbow after a heavy rain? That is the opportunity to feel the love from your parents, siblings,doctors and nurses, relatives and friends!– Bernadette
If you have good insurance and a solid cash reserve, you will find the US health care system to be great. In fact, you will find the best health care services that money can buy. That is why people of means come from all around the world to do major procedures here. However, if you do not have insurance or much money, it is a crap shoot. Sure, you can see a doctor through an emergency room if you are in a pinch, but that can wipe out a family living pay check to pay check. Moreover, what poor folks do not get is the ongoing patient care, such as prenatal care, that is critical to preventing major health problems and effectively treating (at an early stage) those medical problems that do arise. Personally, I do not feel right knowing that children are dying in my country because their mothers cannot afford health care. That does not sit right with me.
Good points Brian. I agree with most of what you said. However, for the poor, there is Medicaid and they get quite a lot of coverage without having to pay hardly any deductibles, if at all. This includes pre and post natal care. It's the lower-middle class who don't qualify for Medicaid, and can't afford or don't have insurance that suffer as you said about "the poor." Sad, nonetheless, and a problem.
I agree. I got excellent care, BUT I didn't have maternity coverage under my insurance policy, so we paid thousands for my midwife and homebirth all out of pocket. My husband has a high level of education and a good job, but we still couldn't afford maternity coverage. I can't imagine, if it was this hard for us to pay for a pregnancy and birth, I can't imagine how hard it must be for so many women in this country.
Isn't the right, wrong. They are against birth control and a woman's choice, but they don't want to take care of the offspring of their policies.
Sad excuse of an article with clear intentions at attacking America's healthcare system. Here is an excellent article that basically tears this bullcrap CNN blog to shreds: http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-doctor-is-in-infant-mortality-comparisons-a-statistical-miscarriage/?singlepage=true
Some highlights:
-42 of the world's 52 surviving babies born at weights under 400g were born in America
-Some of the countries reporting do not count babies that die within the first 24 hours as live births, they count them as either "stillborn" or "miscarriage" and therefore do not affect mortality rates. In America, if you have a heartbeat when you are born then you are considered alive. (40% of all infant deaths occur within 24 hours. Gee, think that skews the stats a little?)
-In Switzerland, a baby under 30cm at birth is not considered a live birth.
Basically, a lot of other countries don't even count high risk babies toward their mortality rate statistics. This study is bogus.
Agreed. Why should the government support the irresponsible people. If you are going to have a kid you need to fully support it. This is article talks about how parents don't know how to take care of their child. Is this the government responsibility? I disagree. I thought it was the parents responsibility to teach their child how to take care of their children.
The illegals just sow up regularly at my hospital with a different name and fake addresses. They get the best care and Americans pay for them and we are bankrupted.
Excuse me! Good insurance? Did I misunderstand that presidents initiative to prvide "quality" healthcare for ALL Americans?
What? Third world infant mortality statistics in the good ole USA don't sit well? Unfortunately it sits quite well with the majority so get used to it, and get used to those statistics and other benchmarks of a modern, healthy society to worsen over time as the economic situation declines and the forces of reaction keep their sights aimed in the wrong direction as usual, at the poor. America is in fact a third world country. You have enormous affluence at the top, a middle class that is disappearing, tens of millions of citizens on food stamps, homelessness skyrocketing with families living in tented slums in nearly every city, and a two headed political oligarchy bought and paid for by corporations funnelling tax money to bail out incompetence. And then you have the tea party fools and deluded liberals who keep voting in the same idiots who are on the take. After nearly fifty years of embargo and economic strangulation, Cuba of all places still manages to offer its people a better health care system than Uncle Sam. Pathetic America....just pathetic. But hey, the medical insurance industry and pharmaceutical corporations are doing wonders for large wealthy shareholders, and that's all that really matters to everyone, starting from the corporate CEOs, the back pocket politicians, and the Cletus crowd on main street. For them its long live American style capitalism in all its glory, the largest and best mafia organization in the world. Congratulations, you’re number 1, you’re number 1.
What this study ignores, which invalidates the US's numbers, is that the US is far more likely to try and save extremely premature newborns so most live love enough to be including in this statistic but in other countries they are just recorded as being stillborn, which of course are not being counted in this study.
There are plenty of people who are working poor who do not qualify for medicaid or any other help, and cannot afford insurance. Even if we can afford the premium, we can't afford to pay the deductible and co-pays, so go without preventative care. That is the reality in this country.
Jo, you mentioned Medicaid, but I don't think you understand that Medicaid is not available to adults unless you are receiving SSI (Social Security Insurance) which is a federally funded disability check. If you do not receive disability then you do not qualify for medicaid as an adult regardless of how little you make. We make barely over 400.00 per month for my husbands unemployment benefits, and although I have been a lifelong asthma sufferer, I cannot get medicaid. Our children do, but they are as healthy as little horses and very rarely need it. Brian was right, unless you have money and good insurance, we as Americans are at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to receiving even adequate health care, much less top notch.
Durp, you are incorrect. The WHO does not use individual country definitions for its statistics, it applies its own criteria. They are all the same. And why would anyone claim that Switzerland does not aggrssively treat premature infants? Did you just make that up? Europe bashing will not change the fact that prenatal care in the US is very uneven, which results in a higher infant mortality rate. Americans would rather accept that outcome than pay for someone else's health care, which is your prérogative. But the numbers are real.
Clearly this means we must have government take over healthcare because they do such a bang up job at the DMV!
Pathetic. Your lame pseudonym indicates the puerile nature of your character. Way to make a lame joke about infant mortality, you're a real winner.
II'll second Xairesephos and also note that the two much maligned systems in Canada and the United Kingdom have lower infant mortality rate and that the rates dropped faster than in the US. France is lower still.
No on can make the claim that access to medcial care in the US matches that in most of Europe. yet some can still and with a straight face make the claim that our infant mortality is not higher. There must be a reason beyond a devotion to fact that drives that phenomenon.
As someone who worked in healthcare in the past, and researched healthcare in other countries, I can tell you that these studies fail to address one important issue, which makes them meaningless. In the US attempts are made to save babies born severly premature while in other countries they are simply recorded as being stillborn and this causes the US to have a disproportionally high newborn death rate
Right, lol, here in NJ we privatized the DMV in 1995 and it got much, much worse than it already was. So picking the DMV for your argument actually disproves your point.
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Highest cost – but worst care among any industrialized nation. I'm sure glad the politicians couldn't agree on significant health care reform. Fortunately, I have enough money that I can go to Europe if I need any real work done.
Yeah, about that – enough Americans have had the same idea that most European countries have started aggressively screening out anyone who isn't a citizen or paying taxes from their medical systems. Seems so many Americans were desperate to get that low quality, high cost socialist health care that it was breaking their bottom line.
Can we please have the breakdown by state, so that we can see that the Republican states like Texas and Mississippi that do not really offer health care are the problem.
amen. the so-called "liberal" states at least give a baby the chance to live
Would just like to point out the correlation between homebirth rates of developed nations and decreased mortality. Countries where homebirth is the norm instead of hospital birth have lower mother and baby mortality rates.
Repulicans took our national surplus, jobs, and top standing on the world podium. In return we got Jesus and two wars and neither of these are doing any good. Stop giving tax breaks to the ultra wealthy, insanely destructive corparations, and pimped out religions and we can have a generation that is healthy, fed and educated, then and only then can reclaim the #1 spot for something other than obesity.
Anyone who wants these things you state, had better not vote Repub or Demo. The usual choices will bring the usual results.
Could the increase in premature births here be related to the use of fertility treatments and perhaps higher incidents of multiples who are generally born early?
Yes
That's not counting those that died in utero, killed by people who think that a woman's right over her body extends to the bodies of others, the most vulnerable from among us. Hypocrisy and moral vacuity are the order of the day.
That's right, the numbers don't reflect aborted fetuses... most likely because the article was about infant mortality rates and not your favorite subject. The article was also not about guns, taxes, war or illegal activities committed by the government against its own citizens. Your reply failed on oh so many levels. But your reply does show how some with such simple and narrow minds only discuss subjects they've been previously programed to discuss... wasting everybody else's time and energies. Your attempted diversion is only clever to you.
What the article does not mention is we go through heroic measures on outrageously preterm deliveries as early as 22 weeks, at great expense, the offspring of which fail to survive far more frequently than full term babies. And we treat things that would be considered non-viable in the rest of the world, such as catastrophic types of congenital heart failure. It is estimated these interventions bring our mortality rate up by close to 25%.
It just looks like the pre-birth patient treatment is far superior in these highly rated countries.
Exactly, in the US newborns who others would write off as stillborn and kept alive and while some make it, many don't which results in numbers in this study being meaningless.
That would make sense if the "rest of the world" were comprised of nations such as China and India. However, as far as I know, the USA doesn't routinely do any more to save pre-term babies than Canada or the UK, but has much lower rates of overall success. This isn't a case of apples to oranges – its a case of apples vs a fruit basket, one which contains other apples in additions to oranges.
Kylar,
Your incorrect, the US goes far and above what even Canada will do to save newborns. I worked in healthcare for many years, and live within less then an hour from the Canadian border not only are my views backed up by discussions with medical staff in Canadian hospitals but we also used to see a number of women who would come cross the border to deliver because they knew that that premature infant would actually be given a chance to survive.
I am not saying which method is right, since that would simply "muddy up the water", but I'm simply pointing out that this reports failure to take the differing levels of the standard of care for premature infants into account makes their ranking system inaccurate at best.
Looks like the newborns are on to something.
Stats don't lie just the people drawing conclusions from them. Without further research and more information about how the numbers are collected they are just number on a page that provide no valuable information.
As this CDC site (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db23.htm) points out there are differences in how countries report. It only talks about European differences but points out that how the numbers were obtained makes a difference in how much you can rely on them.
Lets say all reporting is the same. Further research would still be needed to draw any real conclusions. Why does a country have the higher or lower number of births at earlier terms. What percent of pregnancies end in still born since or abortion. The report only talks about live born children. Do some countries detect fetal problems better and try to save the baby via c-section. Now that baby counts as live birth in that country but would have ended up still born in other. Do some countries abort more for health reasons before 22 weeks. All these and lots more could effect infant mortality and thus change how a countries health care should be ranked.
In reality more consistent reporting and further research could move the US up or down in the "ranking". Unfortunately most people don't want to hear that and will read into the report conclusion that can not accurately be made.
Did you ever consider they might be almost as smart as you, and had included everything you mention?
And, of course, some will be happiest planting thier heads deep in the sand.
Jessica Quirk? I am really abtlsuleoy shocked. Not only is she bad at what she does (which is just wear clothes, by the way), but she doesn't really DO anything. She complains about how busy she is and when you ask her how she could possibly be busy, and she'll start rattling on about responding to e-mails and blog posting and OMG SEWING (for herself). Those do not equal a JOB; those are everyday tasks that everyone deals with (aside from maybe the sewing; however, if someone asks me why I'm so busy I don't throw out random things I like to do such as reading or running and call it a job ). She's not even a journalist or a writer she won't post a single negative comment from a reader on her blog in response to what she does (which again, is just wearing clothes). Really, really disappointed to see her on here.
Isn't it amazing how posters on here who have never lived outside the USA, "JUST KNOW" magically from their imagination that we have "the best health care" What an absolute joke, not even close. I am a Registered Nurse and I have resided and worked overseas in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Our system SUX, it is broken badly. We need to quit kidding ourselves and realize just how behind the rest of the world Insurance Company and HMO greed has put the USA.
perhaps the hospitals you worked in overseas were better than the one in the US, but on average the US system is better. I've been living in vienna (voted best quality of life in the world) the past few years and it seems when someone has a serious ailment they are lucky to get treatment quickly unless they have connections that can jump them up the waiting list to see a specialist. i've never heard of someone waiting several months for surgery in US just because the doctors are busy.
@moosh. I have BCBS insurance, and have been referred to several specialist in the past few years. I have always had to wait 3-4 months to get an appointment. With my own primary care physician, I usually only have to wait 2-3 weeks for an appointment!
Now can we see the statistics for newborn death rates of US babies conceived naturally and those conceived artifcially? I don't know for sure, but I could see the US having higher newborn mortality because many of the babies were conceived against the will of nature. Or, because we have more advanced medical care, there are more newborns in the US born with problems because in other countries the baby would be miscarried.
American's like to live in this bubble where we believe that the United States is the best in every imaginable way and that there is no way except the American way. As a result, we've allowed ourselves to become far less than the best in many different categories. Maybe one day we'll wake up to reality and actually try to make America great again.
Rome has grown fat upon the spoils of easy conquest, and now resides in a state of benighted slumber, confusing dreams of its vigorous youth with the reality of its current corpulence.
Durp
Sad excuse of an article with clear intentions at attacking America's healthcare system. Here is an excellent article that basically tears this bullcrap CNN blog to shreds: http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-doctor-is-in-infant-mortality-comparisons-a-statistical-miscarriage/?singlepage=true
Some highlights:
-42 of the world's 52 surviving babies born at weights under 400g were born in America
-Some of the countries reporting do not count babies that die within the first 24 hours as live births, they count them as either "stillborn" or "miscarriage" and therefore do not affect mortality rates. In America, if you have a heartbeat when you are born then you are considered alive. (40% of all infant deaths occur within 24 hours. Gee, think that skews the stats a little?)
-In Switzerland, a baby under 30cm at birth is not considered a live birth.
Basically, a lot of other countries don't even count high risk babies toward their mortality rate statistics. This study is bogus.
Someone that knows what they're talking about. We go through the same discussion every time a ranking like this comes out...
I agree that the numbers for this article are probably skewed due to flaws in information gathering. Obtaining a more detailed report with categories for each countries' premature birth statistics, fertility treatments resulting in loss or multiple births, rates of abortion due to abnormality, & especially the use of uniform reporting guidelines for each country would be more accurate. This article simply proves the report was inadequate & the journalism mediocre.
This issue will be addressed. The top 2% need plenty of slaves so they hate to see so many future slaves die. What would happen if there were no poor people willing to work for slave wages?
well, if there is enough demand for labor and not enough supply, wages would increase. eventually the "slave wages" would become just "wages". if you continually support the laborers and there populations continue to grow, an abundance of labor supply occurs and "wages" fall, possibly enough to qualify as "slave wages". this is basic economics. since you are unaware of this, i must assume you are younger than 15 or dropped out of high school before 11th grade.
I don't want to hear any more swill from you teabags. That the corporations will take care of us is a lie. I hate all of you evil conservative tards more than I can say. See, you kill more babies than an abortion doctor ever will just by being a greedy idiot. I hope you all choke on the lies you tell yourselves.
Let's hear it for American Exceptionalism!
This is why we need public healthcare in America.
Expand Medicare benefits to poor people!
If "LIFE" is a basic civil right, given by God to ALL of us , then Healthcare is a basic civil right, because it is a part of LIFE. We all need it. We all, as a society owe it to all of us.
This idea that babies are dying, mothers are not surviving childbirth and people have to choose what they can "afford", is primitive.
It's time for America to join the rest of the civilized world, and to have the humility to admit that unbridled capitalism when it comes to healthcare is not the answer.
I am glad that all of you support the US. The truth is that is not at all what any of you believe. There are plenty of doctors in the US that dispute what many of you are claiming. Many say that America has fallen from its once greatness. Why is it that our alarming rate of C-sections has skyrocketed or why doctors have been issuing out the wrong medication(which is dangerous) when it comes to epidurals. In my opinion, for as "great" as our health care system is supposed to be, far too many people are being hurt and killed where modern medicine is concerned. I am not biased, I just look at this article, like many, from and objective perspective. Before ANYONE responds, I never said AMERICA sucks, what I am saying is that for our boasts and pride, yes we do have an average obstetics program, I still believe that midwives care more and do a better job on a one to one basis with the mother to be.
This article is misleading and apparently was written to flame the political fires. The original study were not meant to compare the 4 week survival of newborns in developed countries (like the US). To do that, one needs to analyze the percentage of deaths within 4 weeks of birth as a function of the gestation period. In the developed world, more babies are born alive even when quite premature (8 to 12 weeks), so survival rates will be strongly influenced by the rate of live premature births. All of you political types who want to use this data to support your liberal or conservative positions should go elsewhere. The study simply says that a few countries have very high 4 week death rates, and this needs to be reduced.
These right wing $$%$# making bull $#$^& remarks until it happens to them, then they call their senator 900 times a day to complain. Pathetic
David Klein zegt:It's art if everybody feels an unatonrolcble urge to explain it.It's art, if every explanation is right.If nobody asks for an explanantion, you've failed at trying to make fashion.It’s design if it is explained in several languages.It's a vase if it doesn't need explanation.
hmmm– and the US is the largest abuser of cocaine - direct link
What a pile o' crap. I have been to Malaysia and there is no way based on the squaller I experiences this is true. Just another "Down with Amnerica, anti US propoganda article propped up by the editor's at CNN.
We have low numbers because we encourage and even celebrate when women have litters and because we have the ability to deliver children at incredibly early stages. The babies need extensive on-going care and have a very high mortality rate. We also have a lot of women who can't afford health care and for medicaid doesn't always cover them or cover everything (and if the GOP has their way, there won't be any Medicaid) and who deliver children who are addicted to drugs or have other problems stemming from malnutrition and desperate poverty.
BTW – illegal births barely factor into these statistics and have no part in this discussion.
I don't understand, 100 years ago our infant mortality rate was around 70%. People would have 12 kids because if 3 made it to adulthood you did good. I think we have improved drastically in the past 100 years, even in the past 50 years our rate infant mortality has greatly decreased.
maybe I'm missing shemtoing, but it clearly looks like the first guy fumbles for a card key in his right pocket, takes it out and swipes it. Then they just stroll in. Why not just check the security computer to see who came in then? Was it a stolen key or is this an inside job?Neither of these guys look like the guy in the iSight photo, though that doesn't necessarily mean anything. They could have given it away or sold it. I'm not saying you're wrong, but shemtoing is fishy here.
so, according to these researchers, the US must less developed than other industrialized nations because our transportation and communication networks cover a lower percentage of the country. or that the US airport network is inferior because we have fewer international flights. maybe our olympic development programs are less advanced because we don't win that many medals compared to the number of events we participate in.
Are you high?
Thanks to the "great" health care system (the "best" in the world if you are rich) US is turning into a third world country.
Sometimes you have to make decisions between, paying your doctor's bill, ruining your credit for life or putting food on the table!
All this, thanks to Nixon, Kaiser, GOP, lobbying, insurance companies and all "cadillac plans" for senators that don't give an F whats going down there, between the peasants.
It has come down to this. Babies in Cuba have a better chance. o Tempora o mores what a shame!
A Harvard study indicated that at least 45,000 U.S. deaths annually were linked to a lack of health care. Many Americans can't afford health care insurance. "We're losing more Americans every day because of inaction ... than drunk driving and homicide combined," Dr. David Himmelstein, a co-author of the study and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard, said in an interview with Reuters. [2009] " http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/09/17/us-usa-healthcare-deaths-idUSTRE58G6W520090917
An similar study in 1993 found the figure was 18,000 a year and that people without health insurance and health care were 25% more likely to die.
Going back through the figures one sees a definite pattern indicating that these aren't sudden questionable figures; these have been steadily increasing figures and a huge factor in the U.S. loosing people from infancy and older, in the big picture.
Many developed nations offer citizens health care coverage. The U.S. delayed this and it's still in jeopardy, thanks to Democrat vs. Republican dualism hobbling our nation. Too many people don't read and think for themselves in this country and instead join one political camp or the other and parrot what they're told to know and how they're told to think about it. That means they're usually poorly informed. That has consequences. Evidently, it even has life or death consequences for our most vulnerable.
"who regard the U.S. health care system as the best in the world"
haha, I found this hilarious. Do people really think we have the best? They should visit.... any other country! lol!
No, no, no, no, no... Cesarean deliveries of upwards of 40% of US newborns was supposed to fix this problem... Right? Right??? More C-sections = fewer deaths, right? (Or, so we've been told...)
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Kronedog again haha I lol'd when I thought of it as well evnyroee around me probably thought I was crazy! But question what theme did you use for your wordpress? Yeah 35+ miles a week is just not going to work for me lol people already give me dirty looks at the gym if I've been running for the maximum 30 minutes that they allow, dumb two slot rule. But I think I've decided on a twelve week one :]Miss you! Are you coming home for fall break?
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