Early childhood (from birth to 8 years of age) is key to achieving the maximum development of the human being. This stage comprises the most sensitive period for brain development and extends from pregnancy (during organogenesis), until 3 years after birth, when the greatest number of neural connections and circuits are formed and the maturation of the central nervous system gets completed.
Early childhood (birth to 8 years of age) is key to achieving a human being’s maximum developmental potential. This stage comprises the most sensitive period for brain development. This is the time of life when children's developmental potential is most susceptible to environmental stimuli and early experiences, which influence learning, health, behavior and, in the long term, adult social relationships and well-being.
In gestations with high risk of prematurity or potentially needing admission to the Neonatal Care Unit, prenatal admission is an opportunity for communication with the pregnant women.
Evidence-based counseling about the benefits of human milk feeding is a public health intervention that improves breastfeeding rates. Repeated prenatal informational interviews are more effective than isolated interventions and should be documented in the medical record.
Neural tube defects (NTDs) are the most common defects of the central nervous system, with a strong impact on infant morbidity and mortality.
These are some of the milestones that can be highlighted about their evolution:
- 70s: advances in medical/surgical therapies lead to a significant reduction of sequelae and disability.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every year, about 8 million children are born with a birth defect in the world. Congenital anomalies cause 10 per cent of all newborn deaths and many of the babies who survive are at risk of carrying a lifelong disability if they do not have timely access to high-quality care.
However, the burden of death and disability differs by place of birth and is disproportionately high in low- and middle-income countries.
Delays in the neonatal transfer system can have an impact on mortality. The “three delays” model (Thaddeus and Maine, 1994) describes a conceptual framework for the factors and phases of delay that influence timely access to specialized emergency care. The model makes it possible to analyze delays in the process at each stage of neonatal transfers.
In most cases, neonates are transferred from a primary care center to a referral center, but it can also occur from the community, from a facility or from within the same center.
The mortality burden associated with congenital defects (CD) is relevant globally and regionally. In 2016, the global prevalence of CD reached 82,890,000 cases. One out of five deaths within the first 28 days of life is due to CD. In addition to neonatal mortality due to CD, it contributes to fetal mortality.
Safely transferring sick newborns to health facilities with the level of complexity required to treat their condition contributes to the reduction of neonatal morbidity and mortality rates. Reducing these rates is essential to achieve the global goals for child survival in the coming decades. Efforts to prevent the main causes of neonatal mortality must be complemented by the development of systems to care for sick newborns, including safe neonatal transport.
Congenital defects (CDs) are the second leading cause of neonatal mortality and a very important cause of disease and disability.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, there are more than 15 million births every year. According to estimates published in 2018, approximately 15 out of every 1,000 will be at risk of dying before their first birthday and 10 in 1,000 before their first month of life.
One in 5 of the deaths occurring within the first 28 days of life is due to some CD.
According to the evidence available, vaccination against Covid 19 disease during pregnancy is safe for both mother and baby.
It is important to discuss this with the health care professional that cares for that pregnancy to promote an informed decision about immunization.
Unvaccinated pregnant women are at increased risk of becoming seriously ill, needing intensive care, and even dying. When they get Covid, birth may be triggered prematurely.
It is very important to discuss vaccinations with the professional who is monitoring pregnancy.