Premature births of babies have now emerged as the main challenge to controlling the deaths of children under five as an estimated 4,38,800 babies are born prematurely every year in the country, said health experts at a roundtable yesterday.

Of them, around 23,600 infants die every year facing breathing, feeding and low birth weight difficulties, they added quoting a Unicef report.

Though the country has achieved reputations for fulfilling the targets of reducing the infants' deaths in the concluded Millennium Development Goals-2015, it is facing the challenges of fulfilling the targets of Sustainable Development Goals 2030, the experts mentioned highlighting the importance of taking preventive measures.

They were speaking at the roundtable marking World Prematurity Day yesterday at the capital's The Daily Star Centre.

Save the Children organised the programme with assistance of The Daily Star, Unicef, USAID, icddr,b, Bangladesh Pediatric Association, Obstetrical and Gynecological Society of Bangladesh (OGSB), Bangladesh Prenatal Society, Bangladesh Nurses Association, Bangladesh Midwife Society and Mamoni.

Bangladesh is on the seventh position among the top ten countries with the highest numbers of preterm births and deaths, said Sayed Rubayet, programme director of Save the Children.

A full term pregnancy lasts between 37 and 42 weeks, and when a baby is born before 37 weeks he or she is called a premature child, according to the doctors.

“An estimated 22,000 babies are born before 28 weeks every year in the country,” said Rubayet.

Adolescent pregnancy, short birth spacing, hypertension, diabetics, obesity and domestic violence, were the main reasons behind preterm births, he said, mentioning that additional researches were being conducted to identify more causes.

Under the SDGs, all signatory countries including Bangladesh have to bring the deaths of child aged under five within 25 percent, while the neonatal deaths below 12 percent, Rubayet said.

If the newborn remained underweight and had no other difficulties, they were out of the risk of losing their lives, said Manisha Banarjee, departmental head at special care baby unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Parents should take proper care of their babies to reduce the risks, she added.

Prof Mahbubul Hoque of Neonatology at Dhaka Shishu Hospital said the doctors should be provided regular training so that they can diagnose the babies' problems properly. It is not wise to refer the babies for emergency treatment, which increases risks, he said.

Dr Halima and Dr Rawshan Ara both highlighted the necessity of stopping early marriage and early pregnancy.

Infertility specialist Dr TA Chowdhury said as the largest percentage (63) of the deliveries are still taking place in the rural areas it is essential to ensure better treatment facilities in the upazila health complexes.

Health expert Prof Shahidullah moderated the roundtable where doctors, government officials, NGO activists and journalists also spoke.