The Neonatal Epidemic: An Income-Based Battle

Imagine, what is supposed to be one of the most beautiful times in a woman's life also being one of the most fearful times in her life. A seed sown to blossom and grow, now facing the rockiest terrain with an impending storm on the homefront.

Recently, due to the novel coronavirus, women all across the globe have had a taste of what it means to be fearful of every little action they take as they nurture the life growing inside their wombs. Even mothers located in countries that we would deem more economically well-off have had to adjust to the idea of a virtual babyshower and birth scenarios without family members present.

However, many women, especially those located in countries associated with the Global South, have been raging against this age-old battle of raising a child in the womb and rendering fierce protection from the first breath, even though we are well into this 21st century.

Photo by: Paolo Patruno from the Birth is a Dream Project

The neonatal period is the first twenty eight days of life. These days are the most vulnerable days of a child's life. According to UNICEF in 2019 there were about 2.4 million children who died in their first month of life, approximately 6,700 a day globally.

When you break down the numbers by geography you can see that there is a heavy concentration of occurrences in the Global South, specifically Eastern and Southern Africa and South Asia.

Statistics show that Somalia had about 36 out of every 1000 children die during the neonatal phase while North America has 3 out of every 1000. If we take that 6,700 a day value that would put over 200 babies falling victim to neonatal issues in this one small country alone.

The meaning of the word epidemic is: an outbreak of disease that spreads quickly and affects many at the same time. We believe the current neonatal crisis is an epidemic. A close examination of the reasons for deaths during the neonatal phase reveal that they are often riddled with underlying infectious diseases like Malaria, HIV, Dysentery, and Tuberculosis. These are all considered communicable diseases just as COVID-19.

So why is COVID-19 a pandemic? It’s effects and repercussions are being felt worldwide. This means on top of the high mortality rate from neonatal issues, countries in the Global South are now adding an additional factor contributing to their leading causes of death.

Still, one should at least question the prevalence of neonatal deaths in the world. Technology has come a long way making it possible for so many women to have access to safe and happy birthing facilities, right?

The short answer is, yes. Medicine, whole foods, vitamins, psychology, and even the internet have provided the means for many women located in the privileged nations of the Global North to have ideal “butterfly” births and picturesque “4th trimesters”, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, well minus the glamorous baby showers and perfectly planned doula birth scenario. But still we find neonatal deaths are the number three cause of deaths globally. Deeper still, neonatal deaths are not even amongst the top ten deaths in middle to high income countries according to the World Health Organization.

All of the world's advancements in technology and medicine come at a cost.

According to a World Data Report it is shown that average annual income in Kenya is 1750 USD, Ethiopia is 870 USD, and Sudan 590 USD. Subsequently, the Oxford journals released average costs of vaginal births without complications in the Sub-Saharan at about 18 USD. While the average cost to have a baby in the United States is 10,808 USD (Business Insider).

Yes, even in the Global North, many Black and Latinx families struggle to not only find the money needed for quality care but also to secure compassionate physicians and the best equipped facilities to help.

And in many countries in the Global South, major advancements have been made to slow the deaths caused by neonatal complications as of 2019. But now with COVID-19 much attention has been averted from this issue to focus on assisting the fight against the global virus.

Photo by: Paolo Patruno Birth is a Dream Project

As the world continues to re-open and we begin to rebuild, it’s important now more than ever that we recognize that we can get back on track and help turn this neonatal epidemic around by offering development assistance at the community level.

To be effective helpers, we must start by listening.

We can only help after stepping into the shoes of these women and families through their experiences and stories.

What do they consider to be their most important needs in ensuring a safe child-bearing process?

How can we help all members of the family continue to help our child-bearing women and newborn infants?

Truly collaborating with communities involves not only providing the education and resources needed but regularly engaging with the people to hear their ideas about solutions, and ensuring that their needs are being met through the education and resources.

As with any other area of impact, we must work to ensure that the allocated aid is really what is needed and being requested.