Complications from Premature Birth Number One Cause of Death in Young Children
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Photodisc/Digital Vision/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the London School of Hygiene found that premature birth is the number one killer of babies worldwide.
In a study published in the journal Lancet, 2013 marks the first years in which preterm birth is the top cause of death for young children. The overall number of early childhood deaths decreased from 2000 to 2013, reaching six million in 2013. One million of those died from complications from prematurity.
Other notable causes of death among young children were pneumonia, diarrheal infections, malaria and complications during pregnancy.
Researchers urged pregnant mothers to seek earlier medical care in an effort to prevent preterm birth.
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