WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., DEC. 21, 2004 -- The survival of a premature baby weighing less than a pound is not only a tribute to advanced medical care but also a call to action to find new ways to prevent prematurity, the March of Dimes said today.

"Prematurity is a common, serious problem in American and unfortunately, the number of preterm births is rising each year," said Siobhan M. Dolan, M.D., associate medical director of the March of Dimes.  "More research on the underlying causes of preterm birth is needed to reverse this trend."

The organization's comments came in response to a news conference held today by Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois, introducing Rumaisa Rahman, whom the medical center calls the world's tiniest surviving baby.  Rumaisa was born at 25 weeks, six days gestation, weighing 8.6 ounces (243 grams).  She has a twin sister, Hiba, who weighed 1 pound, 4 ounces (567 grams) at birth.  Both babies are still in the hospital.

"We're delighted for the Rahman family that their babies appear to be doing so well," Dr. Dolan said.  "But too many babies are born extremely premature in this country, and many others die or suffer lifelong consequences, including cerebral palsy, mental retardation, chronic lung disease, blindness and hearing loss.  The March of Dimes wants to prevent these problems from occurring in the first place -- we want every birth to be a healthy one."

In 2003, the March of Dimes launched a five-year, $75 million Prematurity Campaign that includes more funding for medical research, services and education for women and their providers, and help and hope for families in crisis.  It includes March of Dimes NICU Family Support^SM, a national project that provides comfort and information to families with a newborn in the neonatal intensive care unit.  Families who have experienced or are experiencing a preterm birth are invited to visit marchofdimes.com/share, an online community for families to share their stories.   
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