Early Steroid Treatment Can Save Preterm Newborn Lives in Low-Resource Settings, Study Finds
Preterm birth remains one of the world’s most urgent public health challenges and a leading cause of newborn deaths, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where access to specialized newborn care is limited.
New evidence from the World Health Organization ACTION-I Trial shows that giving antenatal corticosteroids (dexamethasone) to pregnant women at risk of early preterm birth can significantly improve newborn survival and reduce health system costs when provided in hospitals with basic maternal and newborn care capacity.
The multi-country study, conducted across hospitals in Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Nigeria, and Pakistan, found that dexamethasone use was linked to fewer neonatal deaths and prevented long-term disability associated with premature birth complications.
Across many parts of the world, health systems are under pressure from rising maternal and newborn mortality, limited intensive care capacity, conflict-related disruptions, and unequal access to quality healthcare. In these settings, cost-effective interventions that can be delivered within existing hospital structures are urgently needed.
Antenatal corticosteroids offer a practical, evidence-based solution that can help close survival gaps for premature babies especially in resource-constrained communities where preterm complications often become fatal.
To safely scale up this intervention, countries must strengthen:
accurate assessment of gestational age,
timely identification of women at risk of preterm birth, and
facility readiness to provide essential newborn care.
Expanding access to proven interventions like antenatal corticosteroids could play a critical role in reducing preventable newborn deaths and improving survival outcomes for the most vulnerable babies worldwide.
