Neonatology

What does neonatology mean?

Neonatology is a pediatric subspecialty that focuses on all aspects of medical care of neonates. The American pediatrician Alexander J. Shaffer coined this term in the introduction to the first edition of his book Diseases of the Newborn in 1960.

Since then, enormous progress has been made in neonatology in high income countries with large improvements in survival chances for sick term and preterm infants. In contrast, neonatal care in resource-limited countries still lags by decades.

Under-five mortality rates

In 2000, the United Nations launched an initiative called The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) to improve health and education and end alleviate poverty. The target of MDG 4 was to decrease under-five mortality rates (i.e. number of deaths before the age of five years among 1000 live born infants) by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015. While progress was made, many countries failed to reach this target.

In 2021, the under-five mortality rate in Namibia was estimated to be 39/1000 live births, 10-times higher than in Switzerland (3.8/1000). In addition, it was significantly higher in the poor Kavango and Zambezi regions in the North of the country where NEO FOR NAMIBIA is active (48/1000 and 44/1000, respectively). 

Close to 50% of all under-five deaths happen in the the first month of life (neonatal period). The leading causes of death in neonates are 1) complications of prematurity, 2) birth asphyxia (lack of oxygen during blabor and delivery), c) infections, and d) congenital malformations. 

In addition, 99% of all neonatal deaths occur in low and middle income countries. Interventions that improve survival during this vulnerable period, will have a large impact on the under-five martality rates.