Infant Protection Day 2022: History, Significance, And All That You Need To Know

The IMR is a critical indicator of a society's general health, in addition to offering information on maternal and child health.  It is referred to the number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births.

Infant Protection Day 2022: History, Significance, And All That You Need To Know About

New Delhi: Every year, November 7 is celebrated as Infant Protection Day. This day is celebrated with the sole purpose of raising awareness about the safety of newborn lives and giving them proper care. The day has been set to discuss how to best safeguard and nurture young children at one of their most important and vulnerable developmental stages.

The infant mortality rate is a critical indicator of a society's general health, in addition to offering important information on maternal and child health. It is referred to the number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births.

The first three months following birth are critical for an infant's development since only at this point do its hearing, eyesight, motor skills, and communication develop. At this time, they also begin to form relationships with their parents.

According to the data from WHO, in 2019, more than 2.4 million infants lost their lives in the first month after birth. Also, more than 7000 kids pass away every day, making the mortality rate for kids under the age of 5 at 47%.

Infant Protection Day 2022: A Brief History

In 1990, nearly 5 million infants died due to a lack of awareness of the protection of Infants. This prompted many countries to take the necessary steps for better child health care and to reduce Infant Mortality Rate (IMR). Europe was the first to start a campaign in this regard, and therefore, established Infant Protection Day to raise awareness among the people about Child Care Services and to reduce Infant Mortality Rate. As a result of this, the Infant Mortality Rate has decreased from 100 to 10 deaths per 1000 births. Later, America joined in this as well. 

Infant Protection Day 2022: Significance

The main reason behind the commemoration of Infant’s Protection Day is to take steps to protect the lives of infants. On this day, the government hopes to raise awareness about the protection and nurturing that infants require. This day also seeks to provide every child with the strong health and immunity they deserve.

While highlighting the need of improving immunological support, this day also emphasises the measures that the government should take into account in order to promote effective healthcare systems.

Infant Protection Day 2022: Infant Mortality Rate In India

According to the data from the Sample Registration System (SRS) Bulletin of Registrar General of India (RGI), the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has reduced from 37 per 1000 live births in 2015 to 30 per 1,000 live births in 2019 at National Level.

The data published on September 22, 2022, shows that the nation's child mortality rate has decreased compared to the previous years. The government has repeatedly taken a number of significant actions to reduce infant mortality. To prevent the infant mortality rate from rising in the future, the government should put in place an effective healthcare system.