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‘SHOCKINGLY HIGH’

U.S. Infant Mortality Rate Rises for First Time Since 2002

The rate for children of Black women was twice the national average.

Empty baby warmer.

Jason Edwards/Getty

For the first time since 2002, the infant mortality rate in the United States has risen, with 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births. The increase is particularly concerning since the U.S. rate was already worse than the rate in other wealthy, developed countries like Canada and Japan. And the Centers for Disease Control report shows that the rate for infants of Black women is double the national average. “We live in a country with significant resources, so the infant mortality rate and the increase are shockingly high,” Dr. Sandy Chung, the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told CNN.

Read it at CNN

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