Fifteen million babies, one in ten births, are born prematurely every year, a global project suggests. 一项全球项目显示，每年有1/10、大约1500万婴儿是早产儿。
One million of these babies die soon after birth. The joint report, led by the WHO, says three quarters of deaths could be prevented with basic care.
For the first time premature birth rates have been estimated by country, with the highest risk being in Africa.
In the UK about 8% of babies are born too soon and this rate is rising partly due to obesity and later motherhood.
There are nearly 60,000 premature births every year in the UK.
Andy Cole, from premature baby charity Bliss, said "it is worrying that the UK's preterm birth rate is significantly higher than countries such as Sweden, Norway and Ireland, and highlights the need for well-co-ordinated and high-quality antenatal（产前的） care for all women identified as high risk". Worldwide problem
A premature or preterm baby is one that is born before 37 weeks after the first day of the mother's last period. A full term baby is when pregnancy lasts 40 weeks.
Fortyfour organisations contributed to The Born Too Soon report, which estimated premature birth rates - the number of babies born too soon, out of the total of number of live births - for 184 individual countries, in the first study of its kind.
Of the 11 countries where over 15% of babies are born too early, all but two are in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the report highlights it is a problem worldwide.
"It is very striking to see that preterm births have a similar burden all around the world - but due to different reasons," Dr Lale Say from the WHO said.
"In developing countries it is due to things like infections, HIV, malaria and poor nutrition.
"In developed countries there are totally different risk factors - an older delivery age, diabetes, obesity and multiple births due to IVF."
The report also mentions caesarean sections（剖腹产） before full term, which are not always medically needed, as a reason for increasing premature baby rates.
更多英语新闻作者: kobe 时间: 2012-5-3 18:42
