Karnataka's infant mortality rate drops over 50% since 2010-12
Bengaluru: Karnataka has seen a significant improvement in infant health outcomes, with the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) dropping by more than 50 percent over the past decade.
IMR is the number of deaths of infants under the age of one per 1,000 live births. The IMR in the state has fallen two points from 17 in 2021 to 15 in 2022, according to the Sample Registration System bulletin, as cited by Deccan Herald on Thursday.
In Karnataka, the IMR has seen a 50.4 percent drop in 2020-22 compared to the previous decade, coming down to an average of 17.3 from 34.9 in 2010-12.
Both rural and urban areas in Karnataka have seen similar progress, with close to a 50% decline in infant mortality cases. Healthcare experts attribute this positive trend to advancements in healthcare infrastructure, better neonatal care, and improved institutional delivery rates.
Dr Rajath Athreya, lead neonatologist and senior consultant at a private hospital in Bengaluru, noted that both government and private facilities have contributed to this. “Over the past few years, institutional deliveries and safe delivery practices have gone up. Many government facilities have been upgraded, and Special Newborn Care Units (SNCU) have been set up. Access to private facilities has improved in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, and vaccination coverage has also improved,” DH quoted him as saying.
Despite the progress, challenges such as premature births, infections, and congenital defects continue to persist. Athreya also highlighted the need to address regional disparities within the state, including improving human resources and infrastructure by replicating what has been done in districts and states that are doing better, and fully utilising available funds.
Meanwhile, neonatal mortality, or deaths occurring within the first 28 days of life, remains the most pressing concern. Dr Suman Rao, Head of the Department of Neonatology at a Bengaluru-based hospital, said that care given to newborn babies at birth needs to improve.
While India’s Neonatal Mortality Rate stood at 19 in both 2021 and 2022, Karnataka has marginally improved from 13 in 2021 to 12 in 2022.
“We need to improve administering antenatal corticosteroids for women with preterm pregnancies at the right time so babies have a better chance of survival. We are aiming to have at least one person in every birthing facility trained in basic newborn resuscitation,” DH quoted Dr Rao as saying.
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Climate Change crisis: IMD to change parameters to declare heatwaves
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The IMD, along with its technical partners, will soon revise the criteria for declaring heatwave conditions in the country, as the present parameters do not suit India’s geographical conditions, according to official sources here.
Kerala, in particular, has faced difficulties in issuing heatwave warnings because of the limitations of the existing parameters.
Sources in the India Meteorological Department said the state experienced severe heat and humidity this summer and, for the first time, weather forecasts were made based on the anti-cyclone system that formed near the Karnataka–Maharashtra coast.
"We have never had an anti-cyclone system form closer to the South before, and this time we had to predict the weather based on it," a senior IMD official told PTI.
Anti-cyclonic systems are common over north-western parts of India, but this year one formed near the southern region, leading to unusually hot nights.
The anti-cyclone caused downward air movement, which pushed warm air towards the surface and prevented it from dispersing at night, the official added. As a result, Kerala recorded night temperatures 3 to 4 degrees Celsius above normal.
Because Kerala has experienced a steady temperature increase during the summer months for the last few years, changing the parameters for declaring heat waves would benefit the state, enabling the authorities to issue warnings more efficiently, the official added.
The IMD currently issues hot and humid weather warnings, although the situation warrants a heatwave warning, as the existing parameters do not allow the department to issue one.
At present, the IMD issues a heat wave warning in coastal areas when the maximum temperature reaches 37 degree Celsius or more with a temperature departure of 4.5 degree Celsius over the recorded maximum temperature.
For plains, the threshold is 40 degrees Celsius with a departure of 4.5 degrees Celsius or more from normal, while for hilly regions it is 30 degrees Celsius with a departure of 4.5 degrees Celsius or more.
Officials said the current heatwave declaration parameters also require these conditions to be recorded at two stations in the state to issue the warnings.
"In Kerala, we hardly get to record these conditions in two areas; moreover, we have severe heat stress that can easily cause a heat stroke. So we have decided to rework the heatwave declaration parameters and the changes will be implemented shortly. There will be a consultation with the Disaster Management Authority also before finalising the parameters," the official said.
Throughout Kerala, temperatures recorded this summer were three to four degrees Celsius higher than usual. The state also reported multiple cases of heatstroke despite regular warnings issued by the IMD and the state disaster management authority.
According to experts, Kerala has become a climate change hotspot, with a steady increase in atmospheric temperatures and erratic monsoons.
The IMD has also predicted a below-normal monsoon this year, as this is the first time two consecutive El Nino years are being witnessed.
