World Prematurity Day 2022

Preterm birth is the leading cause of death among children under the age of five

17 November 2022
Chau Thi Thuy performes Kangaroo care method through skin-to-skin contact with her preterm son born at 26 weeks of pregnancy at Tu Du hospital. At birth, the baby weighed 900 grams.
UNICEF Viet Nam
Chau Thi Thuy performes Kangaroo care method through skin-to-skin contact with her preterm son born at 26 weeks of pregnancy at Tu Du hospital. At birth, the baby weighed 900 grams.

Hanoi, 17 November 2022 – Today marks World Prematurity Day, an opportunity to raise awareness on preterm birth challenges and shine a light on the risks and impacts faced by preterm infants and their families.

Preterm birth is the leading cause of death among children under the age of five. Every year an estimated 15 million babies (about 1 in 10 children[1]) are born prematurely worldwide. Viet Nam reports around 60 percent of infant deaths as neonatal deaths[2].

On World Prematurity Day 2022, UNICEF is promoting the Kangaroo Mother Care method under the theme – “A Parent’s embrace: a powerful therapy. Enable skin-to-skin contact from the moment of birth.“ Kangaroo Mother Care is a simple, free action taken immediately after birth to place the baby in the mother’s and later the father’s arms with skin-to-skin contact, which has extraordinary physical and mental health advantages for baby and parents. This method is particularly crucial in the care of preterm or low birth weight infants though continuous and prolonged skin-to-skin contact with a parent. Benefits of the Kangaroo Mother Care method include a reduced risk of neonatal mortality by 40 percent, improved thermal regulation, infection prevention, breastmilk let-down, as well as facilitation of physiological, behavioural, psychosocial, and neurodevelopmental effects.

Mr. Nguyen Huy Du, Maternal and Child Health Specialist, UNICEF Viet Nam, speaks at the Celebration of World Day for Premature Babies at Tu Du Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City.
UNICEF Viet Nam
Mr. Nguyen Huy Du, Maternal and Child Health Specialist, UNICEF Viet Nam, speaks at the Celebration of World Day for Premature Babies at Tu Du Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City.

UNICEF Viet Nam works with the Ministry of Health to scale up newborn lifesaving interventions accross the country. “Our focus is on saving newborn lives, ensuring lifesaving interventions are practiced in all corners of Viet Nam. To achieve this, we support the health sector to develop national action plans on children’s healthcare and scale up interventions that contribute towards child mortality reduction,“ explained Maharajan Muthu, UNICEF Viet Nam Chief of Child Survival, Development and Environmental Programme.

This approach includes working on guidelines on newborn and preterm/low birth weight infants care, training health workers and community workers on international best practices in this area, and reaching families and communities with relevant information about the care and nutrition of newborns and premature babies. “It is great news that around 100,000 babies in seven provinces have benefited from UNICEF-supported programmes providing early essential newborn care and Kangaroo Mother Care this year, as reported by the Maternal and Child Health Department of Ministry of Health,“ informed Muthu.

Despite great achievements, the challenges faced by preterm babies and their families are not sufficiently known by the public and World Prematurity Day is an opportunity to highlight recommended practices for every health worker and parent to further reduce neonatal mortality, including enhanced


[1] World Health Organization, Children: reducing mortality,19. September 2020,

Children: improving survival and well-being (who.int) (15.09.2022)

[2] Survey Measuring Vietnam Sustainable Development Goal Indicators on Children and Women 2020-2021, December 2021. Viet Nam SDG indicators on Children and Women Survey 2020-2021

Media contacts

Ms Raquel Fernandez
Chief of Communication and Advocacy
UNICEF Viet Nam
Tel: +84 (024) 3850 0100
Tel: +84 (0)98 549 9748
Ms Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong
Advocacy and Communications Specialist
UNICEF Viet Nam
Tel: +84 (024) 38500225
Tel: +84 (0)904154678

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UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about COVID-19, visit https://www.unicef.org/vietnam/covid-19

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