Why do we need a Public-Private Partnership to Prevent Preterm Birth? Because the global goal of "ending preventable newborn deaths" by 2030 cannot be achieved without reducing preterm births.
While prevention is challenging because of its population-based nature and often extended time between intervention and outcome, it offers many benefits, particularly with respect to the prevention of preterm birth. Preventive interventions have the potential to reach a broad population and be highly cost-effective, as experience with the provision of immunization, contraception and malaria prophylaxis has shown. Also, because of overlapping risk factors—for example, between preterm birth, maternal death, stillbirth and congenital disorders—preventive interventions for preterm birth have the potential to reduce multiple adverse pregnancy outcomes simultaneously.