Children are blessings from God. Hence, giving birth should be a happy moment in a young couple’s life. What can make people lament during this time, then? In my opinion, there is one phrase that answers this question – infant mortality.

Infant mortality refers to the death of an infant between day one and one year of age. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), infant mortality rate is the probability of a child born in a specific year or period dying before reaching the age of one, if subject to age specific mortality rate of that period.

Unfortunately, infant mortality is quite common in the town I reside. Many individual are victims of this case, it is never a thing of joy to see our friends and families languish in sorrow, but it has been a reoccurring issue. Using my neighbour as a case study, he had a very negative experience last year, as his supposed first child died after birth leaving a deep scar in our heart. Obviously, my neighbour felt very downcast concerning the situation, and it affected his wife’s health physically and mentally, subjecting her to fetal problem that can lead to her early death.

What are the leading causes of infant mortality in Nigeria? One of the major causes of infant mortality is the lack of access to health care – former minister of health, Osagie Ehanire. Individual as a whole have the right to access government allocation and infrastructure, but it seems like it is only the privileged that are allowed to access the benefits that come with the right of a citizen in a given country. Why must it be so, why make the less privileged feel inferior?

In rural areas, local midwives cannot detect the health and condition of a child from its fetus stage to the day he or she is given birth to. This is where adequate health care comes in, without a well-equipped health centre the life of the mother and child is at risk…

Birth defect: Preterm birth and low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, injuries (eg suffocation). The above listed defects are what affect a child when he/she is not well taken care of.

How can we prevent or reduce infant mortality? There are many ways to prevent infant mortality but the most crucial means is to enlighten young couples on the need to follow proper nutrition programme. As a young couple, it is important to keep track of the kind of food to consume during pregnancy. Nutritional adequate diets reduce child under nutrition and help to increase children’s chances of growing to adulthood. Screen women for health risks and pre-existing chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and sexually transmitted diseases

•Counsel women about contraception and provide access to effective family planning services (to prevent unintended pregnancies and unnecessary abortions), acid supplements (to prevent neural tube defects) and iron.

•Advise women to avoid alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs.

• Advise women about the value of regular physical exercise

. Counsel women about the benefits of good nutrition; encourage women especially to consume adequate amounts of folic acid, etc.

There is approximately 6700 newborn death every day, amounting to 47 percent of all child deaths under the age of five years. With the above listed preventive measures, hopefully, the health of infant will be safeguarded. It is not all the time nature takes it course, sometimes circumstances cheat nature. But we must do our best for humanity sake and leave the rest to nature.

Dorma Tubokpade Divinefavour is a student of English and Literary Studies, Delta State University, Abraka