Infant mortality rate is continuously decreasing in the
United States, dropping to 29th in the world in 2004 from 27th in 2000, 23rd in
1990 and 12th in 1960, according to a report released this week by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics in
Hyattsville, Maryland.
The report used data collected through the National Vital
Statistics System for the year 2004 the most recent year statistical data is
available from every country. The findings show that nearly seven US babies die
out of every 1,000 live births. More than 28,000 American babies die before
their first birthday.
Compared to other developed countries such as Japan (where the infant mortality rate is 2.8
per thousand live births), US
infant mortality rate “appears to be worsening,” note CDC researchers Marian F.
MacDorman, PhD, and T.J. Mathews. On the other hand preliminary data for 2006
shows a decline in infant mortality rates between 2005 and 2006, dropping at a
rate of about 2 percent. However, the rate is still higher considering that the
US
goal is to have no more than 4.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, about
half the current rate.
Twenty-two countries had infant mortality rates in 2004
below 5.0 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, with many Scandinavian and East
Asian countries posting rates below 3.5. Countries at the top of the list
include: Singapore (2.0), Hong Kong (2.5), Japan (2.8), Sweden (3.1), Norway
(3.2), Finland (3.3), Spain (3.5), Czech Republic (3.7), France (3.9), Portugal
(4.0), Germany (4.1), Greece (4.1), Italy (4.1), Netherlands (4.1), Switzerland
(4.2), Belgium (4.3), Denmark (4.4), Austria (4.5), Israel (4.5), Australia
(4.7), Ireland (4.9) and Scotland (4.9).
Why is the situation worsening in the US? According to the findings,
preterm birth is a significant risk factor for infant death, considering that
from 2000 to 2005, the percentage of preterm births in the US jumped 9
percent to 12.7 percent of all births. Ninety-two percent of these preterm
births are by C-section, according to a recent study.
“Women have always been concerned about the last few weeks of pregnancy as
being onerous, but what we hadn’t realized before is that the risks to the
babies of early induction are quite substantial,” Dr. Alan Fleischman, medical
director of the March of Dimes Foundation, said. This was not the case 20 years
ago when doctors would observe women with troublesome pregnancies in the
hospital. Now they are more likely to induce labor or perform a C-section to
remove the baby.
Racial and ethnic disparities are also to blame for the situation created in
the US.
For example, in 2005, for every 1,000 live births, the infant mortality rate
was 13.63 among non-Hispanic black Americans and 5.76 among non-Hispanic white
Americans. On the other hand, Cubans were the only ethnic group to reach the US
healthy People 2010 target of less than 4.5 deaths per 1,000 live births, as
their rate was 4.42 deaths per 1,000 births. Among whites, there were 5.75
deaths per 1,000 births.
“We need to step back and say, `how do we prevent this to begin with? Maybe
we need to redirect our efforts and look at some other countries for new
ideas,” said Joann Petrini, director of the March of Dimes perinatal data
center in White Plains, New York.
