U.S. Infant Mortality at All-Time Low
Medical experts credit medical advances and education
6/17/20262 min read
Despite all the negative medical news one is usually bombarded with, there is good news on the medical front. Infant mortality in the U.S. dropped to a new all-time low last year. The rate was just under 5.4 deaths per 1,000 live births, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The decrease translates to hundreds of fewer infant deaths per year.
Infant mortality is determined by how many babies die before their first birthday, and pro-rating it per 1,000. It’s a more accurate picture than just shear numbers. However, shear numbers have also been going down. U.S. infant deaths fell to about 19,350 last year, from more than 20,000+ in each of the last two years.
It’s difficult to pinpoint what’s driving the continued drops, but medical advances and public health efforts surely play a role. According to Dr. Michael Warren, of March of Dimes, “... this is an encouraging data point, and we hope that this trend will continue.” For the record, the rate exceeded 7.5 per 1,000 three decades ago.
U.S. rates still remain higher than some other high-income countries, including Italy, Japan, Spain and Sweden. Some experts like to attribute that to poverty and/or alleged inadequate prenatal care. The U.S., however, has a much higher population which implies more variables to contend with.
Health officials like to point to two new measures for the decline. One was a lab-made antibody shot for infants that helps the immune system fight off viruses, and the other was giving an RSV vaccine to women between 32 weeks and 36 weeks of pregnancy. Call me leery... due to incomplete data.
While researchers noted a decline in the mortality rate for infants born at full-term, rates did not change significantly for other gestational age groups. The article doesn’t mention whether all babies received the antibody shot. This is important to know. If they all get the shot, wouldn’t every age group benefit? If only full-term babies benefit, maybe it’s simply because they’re more developed and stronger.
At the same time, an increase in education around safe sleeping for infants has resulted in the decline of sudden infant death syndrome. Is it possible this plays a larger role than the anti-body shot? Death rates declined both for the youngest infants (less than 28 days old who can’t role over while sleeping), and for older infants.
Personally, I’d like to see a separation of infant mortality rates. How many were stillborn or died from complications while in hospital care vs. those who died after leaving the hospital when deemed “safe”? Deaths among those who died after leaving the hospital could more likely be attributed to lack of education or overall parental care as opposed to natural causes. In other words, nurture vs. nature. Without a doubt, poverty and education surely plays a role. We have an overabundance of assistance programs in this country so I would lean towards education as the largest factor in the reduction.
Whatever the reasons for the declines in infant mortality rates, it’s always good to see less death.
Source used: Associated Press
