Africa's Newborns - counting them and making them count

Over a million African babies are estimated to die in the first 4 weeks of life – but most
die at home, uncounted, and invisible to national and regional policies and programmes. To reduce
these deaths, we need information. Are we making progress towards Millennium Development Goal 4
for child survival? Where, when, and why do these newborn deaths occur? How does newborn health
link with the health of mothers and older children?
Global estimates suggest that over two thirds of newborns could be saved through existing maternal and
child health programmes. How many babies in Africa could be saved with interventions that are already
in policy in most African countries and yet do not currently reach the poor? How could health
information be improved and used to count newborns and make them count?