In Italy, the rate of stillbirths (which means the ratio between the number of stillbirths and the total number of births) and that of neonatal mortality (which is the ratio between the number of babies dead within 28 days of birth and the total number of live births) are lower than the European average, while the number of Cesareans and preterm births is higher than the average for the continent. This is noted in the new Euro Peristat report, now in its fifth edition and published today. The document, coordinated by INSERM in Paris with the contribution of the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), the Ministry of Health and Bambino Gesù Hospital in Rome, monitored nine indicators on maternal and child health in Europe from 2015 to 2019. It was pointed out that, since European countries share living standards and advanced health systems, the detection of differences among indicators describing perinatal health can facilitate the identification of the best care policies and practices to optimize the health of mothers and infants. In 2019, birth mortality was 2.7 stillborn per 1000 births from 24 weeks of pregnancy in Italy, compared to 3.2 of the European average (from 1.8 in Estonia to 4.7/1000 in Cyprus). From 2015 to 2019, the Italian rate fell from 3.0 to 2.7 deaths per 1-000 births and at European level the overall decrease was contained and is estimated to be a reduction of one percentage point per year.
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