Alabama’s Infant Mortality Rate On the Rise, Highest Since 2008
Infant deaths are on the rise in Alabama, that’s according to 2016 data from the Alabama Department of Public Health.
Health officials say alabama’s infant mortality rate is the highest it’s been since 2008.
The state averages about 9.1 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. Data also shows that the mortality rate for black infants was more than twice that of white infants. The top three leading causes of infant death remain the same: birth defects, premature births, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Acting public health officer Dr. Scott Harris says the numbers are troubling. “Alabama remains among the worst states for this in the country, we have rates that are comparable with some third world countries” he said.
Alabama’s infant mortality rate has consistently ranked above the national average but Harris says there are initiatives in place aimed at keeping more babies alive, like the baby box program. The box is free to all new or expecting parents and can double as the babies first bed, to promote better sleeping practices.
“Safe sleeping is actually a real important part of pregnant women and young moms, there’s a movement of people who believe in co-sleeping with their infants and scientific evidence shows that those babies do worse, there’s a higher rate of infant mortality.” said Harris.
Dr. Harris says in addition to creating more initiatives to help lower infant deaths in the state, the Dept. of Public Health is interested in looking into whether the Opiod epidemic in Alabama has played a role in the high rate of infant mortality.
