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01 November 2024 | Story André Damons | Photo Supplied
Dr Nomakhuwa Tabane
Dr Nomakhuwa Tabane is the Head of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of the Free State.

The first 1 000 days of a baby’s life, from conception to the age of two, constitute a critical period during which children’s brains form as many as 1 000 neural connections every second – a pace that will not be repeated in their lifetime.

These connections are the building blocks of every child’s future, which makes the role of a campaign like the First 1 000 Days vitally important. It highlights the importance of stimulation and learning from the earliest possible moments, good nutrition for expectant mothers, prevention of malnutrition of children, and early diagnosis of chronic, life-threatening illnesses and developmental disorders.

This is according to Dr Nomakhuwa Tabane, Head of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of the Free State (UFS). The campaign was promoted by Dr Tabane’s department in partnership with the Mother and Child Academic Hospital (MACAH) Foundation.  The annual campaign kicks off on 1 November each year.

“There are certain factors that can interfere with this process and result in irreversible damage to children’s brain development, poor growth, and compromised immunity. Those conditions include prematurity, ischaemic brain damage, and infections. These are also the top contributors to the neonatal mortality.

“In the one-month to 49-month-old period, the causes of mortality and morbidity that affect brain development and growth include respiratory illnesses like pneumonia, diarrhoeal diseases, and malnutrition,” says Dr Tabane. 

Aims of the campaign

The First 1 000 Days initiative promotes excellent mother, infant, and child healthcare by supporting community-based programmes that drive the message of the importance of the first 1 000 days of life to teenagers, young adults, healthcare workers, and the public. This initiative aims to bring about interventions that can address the Under-5 Mortality Rates (U5MR), including Neonatal Mortality Rates (NMR), Infant Mortality Rates (IMR), and Perinatal Mortality Rates (PMR).

“The campaign also aims to improve the growth and development of children in their first 1 000 days of life from conception until they are two years old. It also aims to improve expectant mothers’ health and prevent and decrease maternal mortality in the Free State, as well as to prevent unwanted pregnancies, focusing on decreasing teenage pregnancies.”

According to Dr Tabane, the 2020 South African UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNIGME) estimate for U5MR was 32 deaths per 1 000 live births, NMR of 11 per 1 000 live births, and infant mortality rate (IMR) of 26 per 1 000 live births as compared to the Medical Research Council (MRC) estimate of U5MR of 28 per 1 000 live births, NMR of 12 per 1 000 live births and IMR of 21 per 1 000 live births (15).

South Africa behind other BRICS countries

Based on the 2020 UNIGME report, says Dr Tabane, South Africa has achieved the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) goals of NMR and the U5MR. South Africa’s indicators were much better than the UNIGME and the MRC 2020 estimates, but it still falls behind other BRICS countries.

“In contrast to other BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), UNIGME reports that in the same reporting period of 2020, China’s U5MR was seven per 1 000 live births, Brazil's 15 per 1 000 live births, and Russia's five per 1 000 live births (16). In 2020, the South African national in-hospital neonatal mortality rate (NMR) based on DHIS data was 12,0 per 1 000 live births; the infant mortality rate (IMR) was 15.1 per 1 000 live births, and the under-5 mortality (U5 MR) rate was 16.9 per 1 000 live births, with differences amongst provinces,” says Dr Tabane.

The first 1 000 days campaign’s interventions include education to prevent illnesses and deaths and promote good health, growth, and development. While many training programmes on child survival strategies have been rolled out (e.g., MSSN, HBB, ETAT, AANC, ESMOE, and IMCI), in-service training still has significant gaps.

Other interventions include preventing unwanted and unplanned pregnancies, providing healthcare support for therapeutic and interventional care, strengthening the implementation of the existing strategies developed by the Department of Health to reduce Maternal and Child Mortalities, and monitoring and evaluating the interventions.

News Archive

UFS Paralympic athlete Louzanne ready for Rio
2016-09-12

Description: Louzanne ready for Rio Tags: Louzanne ready for Rio

Rufus Botha (coach, left), Louzanne Coetzee,
and her guide Khothatso Mokone during a training
session for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
Photo: Johan Roux

“Coetzee is someone with a lot of perseverance. She is becoming a world-class athlete with the help of her guide, Khothatso Mokone.” These were the words from Rufus Botha, the coach of 23-year-old Louzanne Coetzee.

Coetzee, who works at the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice at the University of the Free State (UFS), said that the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro was never a big dream for her, because she never thought she was good enough to make it, but God had a different plan for her life.

Louzanne and her formidable team

Coetzee said that she still struggles to come to terms with the fact that she is competing at the Paralympics and experiences a rollercoaster of emotions. “I am excited, nervous, and confused all at the same time.”

According to Botha, who has been her coach for the past four years, Coetzee and her guide have such a unique rhythm and work together well. “After Mokone, also a former Kovsie, stepped into the picture, everything just escalated.”

The 2016 Paralympics and beyond

“Coetzee is someone with a lot of
perseverance and is becoming a
world-class athlete.”


“Making the Paralympic team is already a bonus. The next target we are aiming for, is for her to reach the finals in the 1500 m,” Botha said.

Coetzee and Mokone were included in the South African team to participate in Rio from 7 to 18 September 2016. Her heat takes place on 15 September 2016 and the finals of the 1500 m on 17 September 2016.

Coetzee’s main goal after the Paralympics is the World ParaAthletics Championships in London 2017.

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