KHMH Says 2% Premature Birth Decrease ‘Not Significant’
Healthcare professionals, parents, and organisations gathered in Belize City for the first conference on premature births to raise awareness about the growing number of preterm births in the country. This event coincides with the delayed observance of World Prematurity Day.
Neroli Williams, Nurse Unit Manager of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH), said that the event was originally scheduled for November 17 in observance of World Prematurity Day but was postponed due to Tropical Storm Sara.
Although there has been a slight 2% decrease in premature births over the past year, Williams stated that it is not a significant change. She said, “But it’s nothing significant. So every year we celebrate the day by bringing back all the babies to the NICU or to KHMH to celebrate and to see how they’re doing.”
Today’s conference addresses early prenatal care, especially for women with rising rates of diabetes and hypertension, which could potentially reduce premature births. Williams stated that many women from rural areas face challenges in accessing healthcare, which may contribute to higher rates of premature births.
Williams said that in Belize, babies born at 28 weeks are considered viable, although countries like the U.S. have a threshold of 24 weeks. “But the risk factors, the developmental milestone might be delayed and we will not know that until the age comes for that milestone,” she added.
These risks can have lasting effects, but efforts are being made to reduce complications and improve outcomes for these vulnerable infants.
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