News outlets report on a recent study showing complications from preterm birth are the leading cause of mortality among young children worldwide.

The Guardian: Complications from preterm births now the main killer of under-fives
“Complications associated with preterm births have become the leading single killer of children under five, outpacing pneumonia and claiming 3,000 lives every day in what has been described as ‘one of the greatest health challenges of the 21st century,’ a study published in the medical journal The Lancet said…” (Chonghaile, 11/17).

U.N. News Centre: On World Prematurity Day, U.N. stresses importance of improving children’s health
“…Some of the highest rates of preterm deaths are in West Africa, particularly in the countries currently dealing with the challenges of the Ebola virus. Of the estimated 6.3 million deaths of children under the age of five in 2013, complications from preterm births accounted for nearly 1.1 million deaths, according to new findings published in The Lancet…” (11/17).

VOA News: Study: Preterm Birth Complications Leading Cause of Death for Young Children
“…Dr. Andres de Francisco, interim executive director of the Geneva-based Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health, said, ‘Over the last few years the proportion of deaths due to preterm births has been increasing. The reason for this is that we do not really have major interventions in place to avoid premature births — and second, to manage them in most communities where they occur’…” (DeCapua, 11/17).

Washington Post: Being born too early is now the leading cause of death in young children
“…The researchers, who came from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the World Health Organization and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, project that if such trends regarding childhood mortality continue, 4.4 million children will die in 2030, with 60 percent of those deaths happening in sub-Saharan Africa” (Izadi, 11/17).