Expert: incidence of illness among premature babies in Belarus steadily decreasing
The Belarusian State Medical University is hosting these days the 11th International Congress of Paediatricians and the 2nd Perinatal Congress that are timed to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the BSMU Paediatric Faculty. A dialogue platform has been organised aimed at sharing advanced scientific knowledge and practical experience in the field of paediatrics, paediatric surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology. Th Deputy Academician-Secretary of the Department of Medical Sciences at the National Academy of Sciences, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor Tatiana Gnedko, has delivered a speech, informing the event participants on the state of preterm care in Belarus.
Premature babies are the ones who have a low level of initial health at birth and a high risk of its loss, and they account for about 4-4.5 percent of all children in Belarus. One in five of them has a body weight of up to 1.5 kilograms.
“Doctors are doing everything possible to save premature babies, and the medical care pursues two main functions: treatment of existing combined diseases and modelling of intrauterine developmental conditions. Since this category of babies is considered the most difficult in the clinical practice of neonatal intensive care anaesthesiologists and neonatologists, the task is always difficult,” Ms. Gnedko explained.
Nevertheless, the Belarusian science is developing, and the most advanced methods of medical care for premature babies are available in the country. “The Mother and Child Republican Scientific-Practical Centre is doing much, and its technology and knowledge are scaled to the regional level. The clinical department of anaesthesiology and intensive care for new-borns is operational there. In addition, there is a human milk bank there, which a truly unique achievement,” the specialist added.
According to Ms. Gnedko, a decrease in the incidence of illness among premature babies is recorded in recent years across the country. As for the survival rate of children with extremely low body weight, it stands at above 80 percent.
The 11th International Congress of Paediatricians and the 2nd Perinatal Congress are attended by paediatricians, obstetricians and gynaecologists, general practitioners, paediatric surgeons, anaesthesiologists and intensive care specialists, neonatologists, rehabilitologists, ultrasound and functional diagnostics specialists, and radiologists. Over two days of November 14th-15th, scientists and practitioners are discussing issues of infectious pathology in obstetrics and paediatrics, pregnancy and extragenital diseases, paediatric allergy, immunology and vaccine prophylaxis. Special attention is paid to children's diseases. In addition, innovative technologies in paediatric surgery, emergency care and new directions in prenatal diagnostics are discussed. The practical issues of paediatric neurology and rare genetic syndromes are also on the agenda.
