Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth

‘Born too soon’ provides the first-ever national, regional and global estimates of preterm birth. The report shows the extent to which preterm birth is on the rise in most countries, and is now the second leading cause of death globally for children under five, after pneumonia. Addressing preterm birth is now an urgent priority for reaching Millennium Development Goal 4, which calls for reducing the under-five mortality rate by two-thirds by 2015. It is hoped that this report will elevate prematurity on the world health agenda and, most importantly, offer a critical next step in the building of a dialogue that improves understanding of prematurity and its causes, leads to change and saves lives.