Protecting Our Newborns : Strategies to combat stillbirths and neonatal deaths in Cameroon

In Cameroon, there were 14 stillbirths and 24 neonatal deaths per thousand births in 2023 (1). This is still far from the recommended target of 12 per thousand births (2).

• 80% of all newborn deaths result from three preventable and treatable conditions: complications due to prematurity, intrapartum-related deaths (including birth asphyxia) and neonatal infections (2).

• Strengthening health systems with better prenatal care, skilled attendance at birth and emergency obstetric and neonatal services can reduce neonatal mortality by up to 75%, particularly in low-resource settings (3).

• Integrating community-based interventions into local health systems can lead to a 50% reduction in neonatal mortality rates when implemented effectively (4, 5, 6).

• Community health is the most cost- effective strategy, preventing 3,175 infant deaths annually at the lowest incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (827 CFA per death averted) and with high economic and political feasibility.

• Availability of qualified HF workers, while beneficial, is less cost-effective (11,834 CFA per death averted) and requires significantly higher investment (25.66 million CFA more than status quo), making community health the preferred policy option.