Where Data Tells the Story
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When Dr. Jane Jallow started working in Sierra Leone's maternity ward, she noticed something heartbreaking: many babies never made it past their first month.
The chart above illustrates the widespread nature of Dr. Jallow's observation.
Neonatal disorders—complications arising in the first 28 days of life—cause 278.3 deaths per 100,000 children under five worldwide. That's nearly four times higher than lower respiratory infections, the second leading cause at 76.3 deaths per 100,000.
To put this in perspective: globally, this translates to approximately 1.8 million newborn deaths annually from complications that largely have known solutions.
Four distinct categories of neonatal complications drive these deaths:
The remaining causes on the chart tell their own story of preventable deaths:
What you can do to help save lives:
✓ Support skilled birth training programs in high-mortality regions like sub-Saharan Africa
✓ Fund vaccination campaigns that prevent measles, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases
✓ Back malaria prevention efforts, including bed net distribution and rapid treatment programs
✓ Advocate for clean water initiatives that reduce diarrheal diseases
✓ Share this data to direct resources where they'll save the most lives
Let us save children like those in Dr. Jallow's hospital community in Sierra Leone - and the millions of others facing similar preventable causes worldwide.