Transforming the Agenda on
Small Vulnerable Newborns (SVN)
The Lancet Series on small vulnerable newborns is a five-article collection exploring the pathways to babies being born “too small” or “too early” and the evidence-based interventions that, if fully implemented, would enhance the survival and health of small vulnerable newborns and benefit babies, mothers, and society.
As part of the advocacy efforts to prevent SVNs, Aga Khan University’s Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, East Africa (CoEWCH EA) in collaboration with the Small Vulnerable Newborn Consortium hosted the regional launch of the Lancet Series on Small Vulnerable Newborns in Nairobi.
The launch brought together academics, healthcare professionals, policy experts, and parents of SVNs to share findings from the Lancet SVN series, advocate for SVN prevention, and discuss local opportunities and priorities to catalyse a movement for change.
The launch called for relevant actors to urgently prioritise action, advocate for, and invest in the prevention of SVNs to reverse the current trend, reduce SVN outcomes and ultimately save the lives of millions of babies. “20% of babies born in Sub-Saharan Africa are small vulnerable newborns, yet prevention is possible. This is the challenge we all need to tackle, the Nairobi launch aims to help us do this,” says Dr Abdu Mohiddin, Physician Scientist and Assistant Professor at the Aga Khan University.
