Ntando Makhubu
PRETORIA: More than 22 000 stillborn babies were born to South African mothers during 2013 and statistics show that in three years, including that year, the majority of babies who did not survive their first week were black African.
Most stillborn babies were in KwaZulu-Natal (24 percent), followed by Gauteng with 23 percent, said statistician-general Padi Lehohla, adding that the figures were indicative of the high population of both provinces.
He released a report on the country’s 2011 to 2013 perinatal death trend yesterday, when he said Gauteng’s perinatal deaths were followed by those of the Western Cape and Limpopo, with 9.7 and 9.6 percent respectively. With 3 percent of total perinatal deaths, the Northern Cape had the lowest proportion in 2013.
“The distribution of perinatal deaths by population group showed that the black African group contributed higher percentages to the total number of deaths each year,” Lehohla said.
More male babies died either at birth or within the first 24 hours, or soon into their first week of life – a trend the statistician said had carried through from 1997.
Perinatal deaths are the combination of foetuses born dead (stillbirths) and babies that die in the first week after birth (early neonatal deaths).
The World Health Organisation said the perinatal period age of viability begins at 22 weeks of pregnancy for stillbirths, and ends within the first seven days of life for early neonatal deaths.
Stillbirths and early neonatal deaths are grouped into the single category of perinatal deaths on the premise that the deaths have similar causes.
The highest proportion of stillbirths (foetus and newborn) was attributed to maternal factors and complications of pregnancy, labour and delivery, while the 10 leading causes of death for neonates were blamed on respiratory and cardiovascular disorders between 2011 and 2013.
Lehohla said perinatal deaths “provide the information needed to improve care for pregnant women, newborn babies and new mothers”.