US infant mortality rate has plummeted 15% in a decade

Infant mortality rate has reached an all-time low – after plummeting 15 percent in just a decade, new figures reveal.

A report from the CDC shows that the number of deaths among American babies dropped from almost 7.0 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2005 to 5.82 in 2014.

For sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) – the spontaneous death of a seemingly healthy baby in its sleep – the rate declined by 29 percent.

Figures showed that despite the drop, there was still a disparity between the mortality rates of non-Hispanic black infants and non-Hispanic white infants.

Experts say that although the decline is a ‘public health success’, there are still several inequities to be fixed among the racial groups.

Infant mortality rates dropped across the US by 15 percent, a new report from the CDC says

Rates for four of the five leading causes of infant death went down:

• Congenital malformations such as heart defects or cleft lips and palates – the primary cause of infant death – declined by 11 percent
• Deaths due to short gestation and low birth weight fell by 8 percent
• Deaths from maternal complications, such as preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, declined by seven percent
• Cases of SIDS fell by 29 percent

The only increase was seen in deaths caused by unintentional injuries from 26.4 per 1,000 in 2005 to 29.2 in 2004 – an 11 percent increase. 

Dr Paul Jarris, chief medical officer for the March of Dimes, a nonprofit focused on the health of mothers and babies, said one reason for the decline could be the push to end medically unnecessary induced labor.

‘These are when a woman is induced to cause labor when there is no medical indication,’ he told CNN.

‘They were very common around 2003 to 2005, and we have done a good job as a nation of reducing these dramatically so that women aren’t delivering early when there’s no need.’

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Additionally, two-thirds of all US states, and the District of Columbia, showed a decline.

In the states that showed an increase, there was no statistical significance.

Infant deaths declined by 11 percent or more in Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

‘Overall, 33 states and the District of Columbia had significant declines,’ report author TJ Matthews, a demographer at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, told CNN.

‘Some states with fairly high rates, such as South Carolina and Mississippi, are in those categories where they had some of the sharpest declines.’

DROP IN US BABIES BORN WITH HIV 

The number of American babies born with HIV has plummeted by two-thirds since 2002.

Compared to 216 babies born with the virus in 2002, only 69 were born in 2013.

Experts say the progress is due to increased funding for, and access to, HIV research and antiretroviral drugs.

More than just holding promise for expectant mothers and their babies, the figures show that this could also help reduce the spread of the epidemic as a whole.

The report found that across all races and ethnicities, the percentage of perinatal-infected infants and mothers fell between 2002 and 2013.

Additionally, Florida was the state with the highest rate of HIV-infected babies with 48 per 100,000 live births between 2010 and 2013, while 14 states had none. 

Data was not shared on how those states achieved lower rates.

Dr Jarris said that in South Carolina’s case, it was a matter of deliberate effort.

‘They have a strong partnership between the state Department of Health, the state Medicaid office, Blue Cross Blue Shield and the hospital association in which they are coordinating their efforts,’ he said.

The report showed that there were drops in infant mortality rates across most racial groups. 

The largest drop was seen in Asian and Pacific Islanders with a 21 percent decrease.

The only group that didn’t experience a reduction in infant mortality rates were American Indians, or Alaska Natives, among whom there was not a statistically significant change. 

‘It’s good news, but on the other hand, we have so much more to do,’ Dr Jarris said.

‘What is concerning, though, is that the inequities between non-Hispanic blacks and American Indians and the Caucasian population have persisted.’  

Despite the reductions, infants born to non-Hispanic black women have a mortality rate more than double that of non-Hispanic white women.  

‘I think there was a public health push in the past decade to figure out ways to lower this rate, and it has made an impact,’ said TJ Matthews.

‘We know that there have been a lot of efforts across the country in cities and states where they’re trying to figure out ways where they can lower the infant mortality rate.’  

According to the National Institutes of Health, infant death rates in the US have dropped more than 70 percent since 1962.

And while rates continue to fall, the US still has one of the highest rates of infant death among developed countries.

‘In terms of preterm birth and infant mortality, the United States has the highest rates of any of the developed nations,’ Dr Jarris said. 

‘Our rates are more similar to that of developing nations. So the message, from my point of view, is that we cannot be complacent.