27/03/2026
Something as simple as an antiseptic could save thousands of newborn lives each year. 💙
A new review, covering 143,150 newborns across 18 clinical trials, found that applying chlorhexidine to the umbilical cord stump reduces infections by about 29% in low- and middle-income countries. Deaths may also fall from roughly 18 to 15 per 1,000 newborns.
Umbilical cord infections are a significant cause of neonatal death, especially in places where hygiene conditions are poor.
This intervention is low-cost and widely available.
However, the researchers emphasize that local context matters. Dry cord care is still the right approach in high-income settings but for families in higher-risk environments, this could make all the difference.
🗞️ Read more: https://www.cochrane.org/about-us/news/simple-antiseptic-can-reduce-newborn-infections
