Global call to action on preventable stillbirths

Margaret Murphy, a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the International Stillbirth Alliance, shares her experience working on this call for global action with Deirdre Munro: Despite advances in maternity care, babies still die around the time of their birth. There are an estimated 2.6 million stillbirths annually across the globe, of which 98% occur in low-income and middle- income countries. A high number of these deaths are preventable, with half of all stillbirths (1.3 million) occurring during labour and birth. Most result from preventable conditions such as maternal infections (most commonly syphilis and malaria), non-communicable diseases and obstetric complications. In high income countries stillbirth occurring during labour is a rare event with 90% of deaths occurring antenatally. Many stillbirths are preventable with high quality antenatal and intrapartum care.