17 November marks World Prematurity Day, an annual event to raise awareness for the one in ten babies worldwide who will be born too early.
Each year, 15 million babies worldwide are born preterm. Sadly, one million of these babies will not survive. Of those who survive preterm birth, many will face lifelong health impacts with families enduring significant associated trauma and financial injury. The theme for this year’s World Prematurity Day is “Born too Soon: Providing the right care, at the right time, in the right place“.
The Victorian Infant Collaborative Study wishes to take the opportunity of World Prematurity Day to acknowledge the experience that families participating in our research have had with preterm birth. In Australia, up to 27,000 babies are born preterm each year. Through engaging with families in our studies, VICS continues to prioritise the tiniest babies and improve life for children born preterm and their families.
Thank you to all of our VICS families for the contribution that you have made to addressing the survival and developmental challenges of preterm birth, in Victoria, Australia and worldwide.
