TORONTO – Saturday was World Prematurity Awareness Day, and for the first time, Toronto’s CN Tower lit up in purple as part of the Global Illumination Initiative.
Monuments, landmarks and buildings all over the world turned purple to honour the one in ten premature babies born worldwide, according to the European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants (EFCNI).
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Organizers encouraged Torontonians to take photos of the CN Tower in purple, then tweet, Facebook or email them out to raise awareness for babies born preterm.
Each year 15 million babies are born preterm (prior to 37 weeks of pregnancy), and rates have been rising in almost all countries with reliable data, according to a release from The Lancet medical journal.
More than 1 million premature infants die, mostly in developing countries, and survivors can suffer lifelong disabilities.
Read our story on expert advice to prevent preterm births here.
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