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60,000 babies are born prematurely in the UK each year and complications of preterm birth are the biggest cause of death in children under 5. Wellbeing of Women funds vital research into the causes and prevention of preterm birth and the best way to care for babies born too soon.

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Categories

  • Health/Wellbeing Health/​Wellbeing
  • Medical Research Medical Research
  • Other Other
  • Beneficiaries

    • General Public/Humankind General Public/​Humankind
    • Infants (<2) Infants (<2)
    • Women & Girls Women & Girls

    Situation

    A preterm birth is one that happens before 37 weeks of pregnancy. 1 in 13 babies born in the UK will be born premature, that’s 60,000 every year. This is higher than many European countries and both Cuba and Iran. Complications of preterm birth are still the biggest cause of death in children under 5, causing 1 million infant deaths globally. 1 in 10 of all premature babies will have a permanent disability such as lung disease, cerebral palsy, blindness or deafness, costing the UK close to £1bn.

    Solution

    Research is key to understanding preterm birth and could save the government £260m a year. Wellbeing of Women is currently funding four projects studying preterm birth. These include the development of an injectable gel that will heal adhesions in the womb lining that can cause preterm birth, helping to prevent many early births; and research into the prevention of brain damage in premature babies caused by bacteria.

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    100%
    Categories

  • Health/Wellbeing Health/​Wellbeing
  • Medical Research Medical Research
  • Other Other
  • Beneficiaries

    • General Public/Humankind General Public/​Humankind
    • Infants (<2) Infants (<2)
    • Women & Girls Women & Girls