In Nigeria, Stillbirths And Newborn Deaths Increased During The COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has put severe pressure on health care systems worldwide. Although attention has been focused on COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, some experts have warned about potentially devastating secondary health effects. These effects may be most severe in low- and middle-income countries with already weak health care systems. This study examines the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on early infant deaths, a question that is currently unsettled. We present new evidence from Nigeria showing that early infant deaths have significantly increased during the pandemic. Using data on the birth outcomes of a large and diverse cohort of pregnant women enrolled in a prospective study and a quasi-experimental difference-in-differences design, we found a 1.1-percentage-point (22 percent) increase and a 0.72-percentage-point (23 percent) increase, respectively, in stillbirths and newborn deaths. Our findings show that the health effects of the pandemic extend beyond counted COVID-19 deaths. If these findings generalize to other low- and middle-income countries, they may indicate that the hard-won gains in child survival made during the past two decades are at risk of being reversed amid the ongoing pandemic. Policies addressing disruptions to health services delivery and providing support to vulnerable groups-specifically to households with pregnant women-will be critical as the pandemic continues.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2021

Erschienen:

2021

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:40

Enthalten in:

Health affairs (Project Hope) - 40(2021), 11 vom: 01. Nov., Seite 1797-1805

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Okeke, Edward N [VerfasserIn]
Abubakar, Isa S [VerfasserIn]
De Guttry, Rebecca [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Journal Article
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 04.11.2021

Date Revised 04.11.2021

published: Print-Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1377/hlthaff.2021.00659

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM332097277