Every 20th baby born preterm in Kazakhstan’s Zhambyl region
Preterm babies are born after 22 weeks of gestation with a weight of 500 grams at birth, Kaiznform News Agency reports.
The extremely premature baby in Zhambyl region was born at the 23rd week of pregnancy weighing just 501 grams. Not so long ago, such a baby had no chance to survive but doctors at the Zhambyl regional perinatal center helped him learn how to breathe, eat, and see.
The doctors say every 20th baby born in the region is born preterm. Such children are vulnerable and need special care and attention. According to the regional healthcare department, some 25,000 infants are born every year in the region, of which 1,200 are born prematurely.
Currently, thanks to doctors’ skills and modern technologies the survival of preterm babies with low birth weight in Zhambyl region reached 60% whereas some decades ago such babies had no chance to survive and died from preterm complications.
Extremely low birth weight is defined as between 500 to 700 grams, and very low is between 751 grams to 999 grams.
Liveborn is the term for a newborn born after 22 weeks of gestation weighing at least 500 grams.
As reported before, about 23,000 children have been born in the Almaty region, including 204 twins and one triplet since the beginning of the year.
