Every year, an estimated 1 in 10 babies is born prematurely, which amounts to approximately 1.2 million children in the Region of the Americas.
Prematurity, defined as birth before the 37th week of gestation, is one of the leading causes of neonatal mortality, morbidity, and disability. Newborns face a significantly higher risk of complications — from breathing difficulties, infections, and poor growth to delays in neurological, school, and lifelong development.
Under the theme “Giving premature babies a strong start for a hopeful future,” PAHO joins the World Health Organization (WHO) in this global call to raise awareness about the need to guarantee universal access to quality care from birth.
The challenges are multiple and go beyond clinical care:
- For families, a premature birth often means reduced income, long hospital stays, emotional stress, barriers to accessing services, and difficulties with follow-up care.
- For society, it represents a high cost in terms of health, psychosocial support, special education, and future productivity.
- For health teams, it requires specialized professionals — particularly in neonatology and nursing — as well as technological resources, quality protocols, intersectoral coordination, and continuity of care from the neonatal unit through early childhood.
Progress in reducing neonatal mortality in the region depends on strengthening care for premature and small newborns. Investing in human resources, service networks, and postnatal follow-up is essential to offer a truly healthy start and save thousands of lives each year.
