International Research Centre of Excellence (IRCE) of the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) has decried the high burden of stillbirths in Nigeria and advocated formulation, adoption and implementation of policies and regulatory framework to address the problem.

It called for a supportive and enabling structure to communicate and amplify stillbirths as a public health concern.

Principal Investigator, IHVN/IRCE, Oghome Emembo, made the call in Abuja, at the weekend, during a key stakeholder meeting on ‘Improving Nigeria’s Capacity to Use Data on Registered Stillbirths for Decision-making and Planning “SPEED Project”’.

She noted that the World Health Organisation (WHO) global stillbirth report warned that COVID-19 could worsen the number of stillbirths globally, and that 50 per cent reduction in health services due to the pandemic could cause nearly 200,000 additional stillbirths over a 12-month period in 117 low- and middle-income countries, including Nigeria.

Emembo added that a modelling by researchers from the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health also showed that 13 countries, including Nigeria, could see a 20 per cent increase or more in the number of stillbirths over a 12-month period.

She said: “Stillbirth is defined by WHO as a baby born with no sign of life at 28 weeks of pregnancy or more. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 2022 data, Nigeria has a problem of high stillbirth burden of 36.2 per cent in West and Central Africa.

“As of December 2021, Nigeria’s baseline stillbirth rate was 42.9 per cent per 1,000 live births, making it the second highest in the world after India. The Federal Government has a goal of reducing it to 27 per cent by 2030.”

Observed that Nigeria’s stillbirth data are not visible and accessible to decision-makers, she added that the country needs an institutionalised system that streamlines and projects stillbirth data for visibility, interactivity, and better accessibility for decision-making.

According to the investigator, Nigeria needs a comprehensive stillbirth data to support evidence-based policy formulation.

The Manager, National Health Management Information System at the Federal Ministry of Health, John Bisong, noted that so many strategies could be deployed to reduce stillbirth burden in the country, including advocacy, awareness, mentorship, documenting and collecting data, as people need to be aware of the importance of proper documentation and the data quality process.