World Prematurity Day: Giving Every Baby a Strong Start for a Hopeful Future – PAHO/WHO

Washington, DC, November 17, 2025 (PAHO) — Each year, an estimated 1 in 10 babies are born prematurely, equivalent to approximately 1.2 million children in the Region of the Americas. Prematurity, defined as birth before the 37th week of gestation, is one of the main causes of neonatal mortality, morbidity and disability.

Newborns face a significantly increased risk of complications, from breathing difficulties, infections and poor growth to delays in neurological, school and lifelong development.

On World Prematurity Day, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) calls on governments, civil society, health teams and families to intensify efforts in neonatal health, ensuring that every baby born prematurely has the opportunity to survive and thrive.

Under the motto “Giving premature babies a good start for a hopeful future,” PAHO joins the World Health Organization (WHO) in this global call to raise awareness about the need to guarantee universal access to quality care from birth.

The challenges are multiple and go beyond clinical care. For families, a premature birth often means reduced income, prolonged hospital stays, emotional stress, barriers to accessing services, and difficulties with follow-up care. For society it represents a high cost in terms of health, psychosocial support, special education and future productivity. And for health teams, it requires specialized professionals – particularly in neonatology and nursing – as well as technological resources, quality protocols, intersectoral coordination and continuity of care from the neonatal unit to early childhood.

In response to these challenges, the resolution adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2025 urges countries to invest in high-impact, evidence-based interventions, such as the early initiation of breastfeeding, the use of kangaroo care and family support, the safe use of oxygen when needed, and the availability of quality-assured medicines, all of which improve health outcomes for babies born too soon or with low birth weight.

Prematurity and inequality

Premature newborns living in rural areas, indigenous or Afro-descendant communities, families in poverty, or those with limited access to quality health services face the greatest obstacles to a healthy start.

“Reducing prematurity and its consequences requires addressing the inequalities that affect mothers, newborns and their families,” said PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa. “Actions must focus on the most vulnerable populations, where we continue to see the highest neonatal mortality rates and the greatest challenges in accessing quality care,” he added.

To advance equity in neonatal care, PAHO promotes several strategies that strengthen the capacity of health teams and communities. Among them is the free eCBB mobile application, which provides practical and up-to-date information on newborn care to both professionals and families.

«Progress in reducing neonatal mortality in the region depends on strengthening care for premature and small newborns. Investing in human resources, service networks and postnatal follow-up is essential to offer a truly healthy start and save thousands of lives each year,» said Suzanne Serruya, Chief of PAHO’s Women’s, Neonatal and Reproductive Health Unit.

PAHO also works closely with organizations of families of premature babies, promoting spaces for dialogue to identify needs, coordinate actions and provide tools that strengthen their role in defending the right to quality care from the beginning of life.