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Premature births – developing countries are at the top of the list
[mis à jour le 18 February 2010 à 08h48]
Worldwide, around 10% of babies are born before term. And of these, 85% are born in Africa and Asia: these two continents in fact account respectively for 31% and 54% of premature births.
These figures once again reflect the major disparities that exist between developing and developed countries. In central Asia, the premature birth rate is 3.8%, in Europe it is 6.2%, in North America 10.6% and in southern Africa 17.5%. Medical conditions associated with pregnancy are to blame, but also genetic and environmental factors and certain infertility treatments. Babies that are born prematurely are at greater risk of perinatal death when they are born in developing countries.
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