Neonatal resuscitation is recognized as an intervention forwhich there is evidence of effectiveness.Of the many babies who die who would benefit from neonatal resuscitation, there
are 2 large groupings: intrapartum-related deaths, often and previously described by the term birth asphyxia, are estimated to occur at an annual rate of approximately 814 000 globally.
There is an obvious relationship between this group of babies and the late pregnancy stillbirths discussed in the previous paragraph. Complications of preterm birth are estimated to be
associated with a million (1,033,000) deaths globally per year. In addition to resuscitation at birth, there are other in- terventions for which there is considered to be reasonable evidence of effectiveness in reducing risk of neonatal death of preterm infants, including thermal support such as skin-to-skin (kangaroo) care, early breastfeeding, and prevention/treatment
of infection.