Chilhood globally, and in Britain, is now safer than at any time in recorded history, with childhood deaths falling rapidly almost everywhere. Neonatal deaths (those in the first 28 days after birth) have fallen, but much more slowly than in later childhood.

Worldwide, we are approaching a point where almost half of all deaths in children under 5 occur in the first 28 days (neonates), and most of these are in the first week of life. In the UK, most of those who die by the age of 20, do so in the first year, and the highest risk is on the day of birth.

This lecture will briefly outline the reasons for the fall in child deaths, and then examine in more detail what we can do to reduce neonatal mortality globally, including low income countries and higher income ones such as in the UK.


The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/suffer-the-little-children-the-gradual-improvement-in-child-health-has-left-newb

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 1,800 lectures free to access or download from the website.
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