NEW YORK, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- A global report on premature babies says every year more than 1 million of them die before they are 1 month old.
The report by the March of Dimes, based in White Plains, N.Y., warned the number could rise if the rate of premature births increases, CNN reported.
It said about 12.9 million infants are born annually before the minimum 37 months of development in the womb. That accounts for about 10 percent of all the babies born in the world annually.
The agency said Africa and Asia account for more than 85 percent of the premature births.
"Premature births are an enormous global problem that is exacting a huge toll emotionally, physically and financially on families, medical systems and economies," March of Dimes President Jennifer Howse said in a statement.
She said the cost of caring for pre-term babies and their health problems in the United States alone exceeds $26 billion annually, CNN reported. The report said the United States and Canada together account for more than 500,000 premature births a year.
"Wherever trend data are available, rates of pre-term birth are increasing," the report said, adding infants who survive premature birth face lifelong health risks.
