Manoj Sharma (Social & Behavioral Health, Internal Medicine), as a senior collaborator with the India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative Stillbirth Collaborators, coauthored an article titled “Stillbirths at 22- and 28-weeks’ gestation or longer for the states in India: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023” in the journal The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia (Impact factor 6.4). The study found that the stillbirth rate was 25.9 and 16.1 per 1,000 total births at ≥22 weeks' and ≥28 weeks of gestation, respectively. SBR in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar together accounted for nearly half of India's total stillbirths. The 28-week definition underestimates the burden and must be modified. Educational and policy interventions must be undertaken to reduce stillbirths in India. The study was funded by the Gates Foundation.
