Please note this website is no longer being updated as our charitable work has now passed to The Lullaby Trust. Please visit their infection guidance page for the latest information.

NEONATAL DEATH IN THE UK

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The neonatal period refers to the first 28 days of life of a newborn baby. Every day in the UK and across the world, there are preventable neonatal deaths and there are concerns that the the quality of care in the UK is declining. As other developed countries get better at preventing, recognising and treating life-threatening conditions in young babies, the UK, worryingly, appears to be getting worse. Since 2014 there has been an upward trend in the percentage of babies dying (1,2). Although a proportion of these deaths may be attributable to causes such as extreme prematurity where, sadly, survival after birth is very unlikely, the number of newborn baby deaths in the UK is still too high. According to the latest Each Baby Counts  report (3), a shocking 72% of babies who were stillborn, died in their first week after birth or suffered severe brain injury could have had a different outcome with different care.

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The UK is slipping down the tables compared with the rest of Europe and indeed the world. In 1990, out of all 28 European Union countries ranked in order of the lowest to highest probability of a baby dying in the first 28 days of life, the UK was 7th: today it is 19th (4). The UK has made less progress than all other  EU countries with the exception of Germany and France.

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According to a recent UNICEF report, a baby born in the UK is more likely to die in its first month than a baby born in Cuba or Latvia, nearly twice as likely than a baby born in Slovenia and nearly three times as likely than a baby born in Japan (5).

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Every week in the UK, 39 babies who were born alive, die before they are 1 month old (1). Every day families are devastated, grieving parents go through overwhelming pain and suffering, often experience post traumatic stress symptoms and face a lifetime ahead of them without their longed for child. 

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Kit Tarka Foundation is working towards a world where preventable newborn baby deaths are a thing of the past.

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NEONATAL HERPES

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What is it?

Neonatal herpes is a rare but devastating condition that can quickly lead to death or significant disability and, even if treated, can cause death or long term health problems such as brain damage or cerebral palsy. It is caused by the herpes simplex virus which can be transmitted before, during or after birth from the mother/birthing person or another individual in close contact with the baby. It is caused by two types of the herpes simplex virus, HSV-1 and HSV-2 which in adults or older children commonly cause infections such as cold sores, herpetic whitlow (herpes sores on fingers) or genital infections. 70% of the UK population carry one or two forms of this virus (7) but many of those people have no idea they are carriers as they have no symptoms at all. We are concerned that, despite its potentially lethal consequences, awareness of neonatal herpes amongst the public and healthcare professionals remains low and must be improved (8). For more information on transmission, recognition and treatment please see the information and advice page.

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How common is it?

In the UK, the truthful answer to this question is we don't really know - but we need to to find out. 

In the last published study from 2013 based in Nottingham, it is estimated that one baby dies every week in the UK from neonatal herpes (9). This is the latest estimate of the number of mortalities in the UK but it is only an estimate. The last UK wide published study based on actual cases uses data over 25 years old (10) so the need for an-up-date study is glaring.

This is against a backdrop of reports from across the world indicating that neonatal herpes is no longer as rare as it was. Every year up to 8,500 babies worldwide are expected to die from the herpes virus (6) and, as the World Health Organisation recently acknowledged in a report supporting the argument for a vaccine (11), it is clear that there is not enough research into the prevalence of neonatal herpes worldwide.

We believe that until the true scope of the problem is known, the success of campaigning for awareness and change will be limited so the first project we have funded is research into the prevalence and impact in the UK.

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