The number of American babies who died before their first birthdays rose last year, significantly increasing the nation’s infant mortality rate for the first time in two decades, according to provisional figures released Wednesday by the National Center for Health Statistics.
The spike is a somber manifestation of the state of maternal and child health in the United States.
Infant and maternal mortality, inextricably linked, are widely considered to be markers of a society’s overall health, and America’s rates are higher than those in other industrialized countries.
Their infants face up to double the risk of dying, compared with white and Hispanic babies.
Overall life expectancy has declined in the United States in recent years, too, affecting white Americans as well as people of color.
Organizations:
National Center for Health Statistics
Locations:
United States