The Unang Yakap Campaign, which aims to achieve a sharp cut on infant mortality in the country, was launched on December 7 by the Department of Health (DOH).
The launching coincided with the signing of DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III of the Essential Newborn Care (ENC) Protocol. The Protocol will pave the way for the solution on the problems the country has on neonatal deaths.
The government launched the Unang Yakap Campaign as an initial reaction to the Protocol, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, to help solve this newborn mortality problem because if it is not reduced by at least half, the goal of reducing childhood mortality by two thirds by 2015 would not be met, Secretary Duque said. The Medium Development Goal target is 6 per 1000 live births by 2015.
ENC is a comprehensive strategy to improve the health of the newborn through interventions before conception during pregnancy, at and soon after birth, and in the postnatal period.
Health authorities said that the Philippines is one of the 42 countries in the world where 90% of all global deaths of under 5 year old children are accounted to.
Analysis showed that 50% of these deaths occur during the first 2 days of life with the following as causes: birth asphyxia (31%), complications of prematurity (30%) and severe infection (19%). (PIA)
