Alabama's continued infant mortality crisis

 From The Alabama Department of Public Health:

 The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) announces that the infant mortality rate of 7.8 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023 increased over the 2022 rate in Alabama. This represents the deaths of 449 infants of the 57,835 live births in 2023 who did not reach 1 year of age. Alabama’s infant mortality rate remains higher than the United States provisional rate of 5.6.

Among racial groups, the infant mortality rate for white infants rose to 5.7 (229 infant deaths) from 4.3 in 2022, and the infant mortality rate for Black infants increased to 13.0 (204 infant deaths) from 12.4 in 2022. Alabama recorded its lowest overall infant mortality rate ever, 6.7, in 2022. 

The three leading causes of infant deaths in 2023 were:

• Congenital malformations, deformations and abnormalities (20.7%)
• Disorders related to short gestation and low birth weight, not elsewhere classified (14.3%)
• Sudden infant death syndrome (6.5%)

State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said, “Many factors contribute to infant mortality, including race, poverty, educational levels, and access. It is discouraging that racial disparities remain in birth outcomes, and the Black infant mortality rate is twice the rate for white infants. A possible reason is limited access to prenatal care and the proximity of hospitals to where these mothers live. Challenges to improve the health of all mothers and babies continue. There is no easy solution; we must follow evidence-based practices to save lives.”

Source: ADPH news release HERE.