VOA News - Numbers of Premature Births Rising

아기의 탄생은 부모 뿐 아니라 모든 가족의 기쁨이요, 요즘엔 나라의 경사라고도 할만 합니다. 출산율의 저하에 따른 여러 사회적인 문제점을 거론 하지 않더라고 갖난 아이의 미소나 경쾌한 웃음소리는 온 집안의 근심 걱정을 날려버리는 마법이 있지요.  오늘은 출산연령의 고령화와 다른 이유들로 인한 조산 (premature birth)에 대한 세계적인 현황을 미국의 소리 (VOA) 방송으로 들어 봅니다. 원문 스크립트와 나레이션이 다른 부분은 빨간색 폰트로 표시 하였습니다.

 

Numbers of Premature Births Rising

By Carol Pearson  Washington, D.C. 08 October 2009 Original Script from: http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-10-08-voa42.cfm  Video Download, click HERE

A premature infant getting specialized hospital assistance after birth

Many of the premature babies pictured here did not survived, (because) they were born too soon.  Loosing a baby is not supposed to happen. Dianne Lovett lost twins. "It's very hard to lose a child."

Parents of some 13 million preterm babies born around the world face the uncertainty of whether their babies will live long enough to go home from the hospital.

Parents of some 13 million preterm babies born around the world face the uncertainty of whether their babies will live long enough to go home from the hospital.

Chris Hausen, with the March of Dimes, an organization to that promotes healthy births, says nearly 10 percent of all babies are born prematurely, and preterm births account for nearly one-third of newborn deaths. "In this report, we document for the very first time the global toll of preterm birth which is just severe and remarkable to us,” I mean we're talking about 13 million babies born every year preterm. Over a million of those dying every year as a result of being born preterm."

Chris Hausen, March of Dimes

Hausen says the number of preterm births is increasing. More than 85 percent of the world's early births happen in Africa. "Probably the factors that contribute to the high rates in Africa are mired in the poverty in the region and the weak health systems. The fact that women are malnourished before pregnancy and during pregnancy, they (also) have high rates of infectious diseases," Hausen explained.

In the United States, the reasons are quite different: more women over the age of 35 are having babies. They are also more likely to use in-vitro fertilization, a procedure which can result in multiple births and a greater likelihood these babies will be born prematurely.

Experts say every week a baby stays in the womb makes a difference. At 24 weeks gestation, nearly 50 percent of preterm babies can survive. At 25 to 26 weeks, the survival rate goes up to 70 percent. 

But there is more at stake than just a successful delivery. Nine-year-old Heather Croy was born at 24 weeks, weighing less than three-quarters of a kilogram. "I lived. And, they thought I'd die – but that wasn't going to happen," she said defiantly.

Heather speaks softly because her vocal cords were damaged by the breathing tube she had for three years. But she does not have complications that other premature babies often experience: learning disabilities and serious lifelong health problems such as cerebral palsy, blindness and hearing loss.  
Currently, there is no reliable way to prevent a preterm birth. But the March of Dimes says a lot can be done to reduce the rates of death and disability.

The report's authors say more needs to be done to educate health care workers, policy makers and women themselves about high risk pregnancies and caring for pre-term babies.