Dr. B. Maheswar Rao
Neonatal septicaemia is one of the important causes of neonatal mortality worldwide. Nearly, 0.75 million newborns died in India in 2013, being highest in the world.1 The NMR in 2013 is 28 per 1000 live births.2 This neonatal mortality rate accounts for about 70% of total infant deaths and more than half of under-five deaths.2,3 Neonatal sepsis can be early onset sepsis (EOS), when the newborn presents within 72 hours of life and late onset sepsis (LOS) if presents after 72 hrs of life. Newborns with EOS usually present with respiratory distress or pneumonia and the source of infection is usually from the maternal genital tract. The source of
