THE HAGUE, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The number of Dutch babies dying at birth or shortly afterwards in the Netherlands has decreased from 10.5 in 1000 in 2004 to 9 in 1000 in 2010, but remains high compared to other European countries, the pan-European research group Peristat reported.
The Netherlands is now fifth from bottom in the European Perinatal Health Report 2010, a ranking of 29 European countries.
According to Peristat, the improvement in the Dutch situation follows intensive efforts to reduce infant mortality rates by increasing cooperation between hospitals, midwives and other healthcare professionals. At the same time, fewer pregnant women smoke and the number of teenage mothers have gone down.
The introduction of an echoscopy in the 20th week of pregnancy may also have had an impact, Maastricht professor Jan Nijhuis was quoted as saying in the Peristat press release.
Only Latvia, Romania, Hungary and France have a higher perinatal death rate. Babies in Cyprus, Iceland and Portugal have the best chance of survival.
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