Preterm Birth Statistics in Kenya

Figures released by the Ministry of Health (MOH); Kenya, 2015 indicate that of the 1.5 million live-births in Kenya annually, 188,000 are of babies born too soon (below 37 weeks).

Based on these statistics, one out of every eight children born in the country is premature. Kenya is among the top 15 out of 188 countries with the highest rate of premature babies worldwide. This is currently the leading cause of neonatal mortality (death of children below one month old) in the country.

In Kenya, about 14 thousand pre-term babies lose their lives due to various health complications. “These children have feeding problems, breathing difficulties and unstable body temperatures. They are also prone to infections due to their low immunity. So they can easily die,” said Dr Rachel Nyamai, Head of the Child Health Unit at the Ministry of Health. (Business Daily Africa)

For example, Kenya is ranked Number 15 amongst 18 countries that account for two thirds of all preterm births. 1 out of 8 babies in Kenya are born premature as per data collected in 2010. 193,000 premature babies were born in 2010. 14,700 is the number of preterm babies who die within their first month of life every year.(Data Dregder; Internews)

26 Preterms Babies die daily in Kenya!(Ministry of Health, Kenya,(2015).

805 is the number of under 5 deaths due to direct preterm birth complications every month

8303 is the number of preterm babies who die within their first month of life every year.

There is an acute shortage of incubators in public hospitals in Kenya and Africa at large. Since the inception of the Free Maternity Care Program, the number of preemies in the public hospitals has increased more resulting in sharing of incubators to the ration of 4:1. (Four babies in one incubator). Ideally, there should be (1) one incubator per baby. This has sometimes led to very risky practices such as babies sharing incubators. Sharing incubators put newborns at risk of contracting new infections.

Babies are also forced to have very limited time in the incubator before they are fully stable because there is usually a long list of other newborns who need this precious apparatus.

The table below illustrates the number of incubators in public hospitals in Kenya in April 2013 in each hospital against the number of preterm births that needed incubators in that period. Although these figures represent data collected then, not much has changed since then.

Data collected in April 2013 by Internews Data Dredger

HOSPITAL	NUMBER OF BABIES	INCUBATORS AVAILABLE
Kakamega Provincial Hospital	12	8
Nyanza General Hospital	10	16
Pumwani Maternity Hospital	123	14
Kenyatta National Hospital	100	8
Moi Referral Hospital	35	8
Nakuru Provincial Hospital	27	6
Nyeri Provincial Hospital	19	9
Embu Provincial Hospital	25	10
Garissa Provincial Hospital	8	5
Coast Provincial Hospital	45	9

*93 is the number of incubators at the National and Provincial Hospitals in Kenya

*404 is the number of preterm babies born in those facilities that needed incubators in April 2013

Causes of Newborn deaths in Kenya 2010

Age group	Year	Cause of Death	No. of Deaths	Percentage
0-27 days	2010	Prematurity	14652	34%
0-27 days	2010	Birth asphyxia and birth trauma	12199	29%
0-27 days	2010	Sepsis and other infectious conditions of the newborn	8685	20%
0-27 days	2010	Congenital Anomalies	2736	6%
0-27 days	2010	Acute lower respiratory infections	1815	4%
0-27 days	2010	Other causes	1572	4%