America's shocking baby death crisis laid bare READ MORE: Experts describe US baby deaths as 'shockingly high' By MAIYA FOCHT HEALTH REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 19:43 GMT, 14 November 2024 | Updated: 19:59 GMT, 14 November 2024 e-mail 7 View comments Baby deaths are at a record high in the US for the second year in a row and much higher than in peer nations. A new report from the CDC showed there were 5.
61 per every 1000 deaths among infants under one year old in 2023, around the same level in 2022, which officials hoped was a blip. The rate in the US is up to 75 percent higher than in countries like the UK and Australia, with experts blaming America's spiraling maternal healthcare crisis . The leading causes of infant deaths were birth defects, disorders related to pre-term birth, sudden infant death syndrome, accidental injuries and maternal sickness.
But there were big disparities between states. Mississippi , Arkansas , Louisiana , Ohio and Oklahoma had rates between seven and nine deaths per 1,000 births. Black babies were found to be at a two fold risk of dying within their first year of life, which experts attribute to poorer maternal healthcare for black women and a lack of access to doctors in many predominantly black areas.
Other experts pin poor outcomes for all babies on a lack of national insurance - which has poorer mothers skipping doctors appointments before and after birth. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes.
