As we have talked about during many class periods this semester, premature birth is the leading cause of death and illness among new-borns. An article I recently read in the New York Times shed some positive light on this otherwise saddening topic. According to a recent study, a daily dose of hormone gel reduced premature births by nearly half among women at particularly high risk. If proven accurate, this study could turn into an extremely effective world-wide health intervention.
This new treatment is a hormone treatment, taken by the woman daily during the second half of a pregnancy. This treatment is relatively simple yet it could have a great impact on the birth of several babies worldwide. It is estimated that 2% of the nation’s 500,000 annual preterm births could be prevented. Also, it is predicted that screening all women and determining which are at highest risk for delivering pre-term could save the nation’s health system 12 million dollars a year. The treatment is also relatively easy for women to administer to themselves.
As I read this article, I was encouraged by the potential this treatment has for mothers and their children worldwide. However, it left me questioning how this drug would be administered due to the social, culture and financial barriers that could get in the way. It frustrates me that these barriers could prevent the use of a treatment that could significantly reduce the leading cause of infant mortality. I strongly believe that if a distribution program was set up to address these barriers, this hormone treatment could really make a difference. It is inexpensive, relatively easy to use, and overall the perfect candidate for poorer, less educated countries (the countries that need it most). I think the major problem will be the follow up—making sure that the women are taking the hormones every day for the most effect. This could certainly cause any program to lose effectiveness.
This article really displays the tension between finding technological solutions to problems and overcoming social barriers in implementing them. While I think it's great that there's new research being done on hormones that could help with successful deliveries and healthy babies, I think it's even more necessary to spread existing practices to areas that are not using them. The most shocking piece of information that we received on this to me was the fact that in so many countries, cutting the umbilical cord with glass is still a common practice. I think that areas such as this are where funds and efforts need to be put first.
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading the article, I began to wonder the effectiveness of drugs in lower income countries when the mothers are taking them for the baby. I would think that mothers would be more likely to follow through and take the medication every day if they knew it was benefiting their child. Also, I agree that education of healthy delivery practices is also important. Many people need to be educated as well, but a more effective drug to stop premature birth would be very effective
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