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Infant Mortality

By Henry J. Fishman, M.D.
ConsumerAffairs.com

April 14, 2005

Dr. Henry Fishman • New This Week • Previous Topics • About Henry Fishman • Radio Features

Finally some good news about infant mortality. The infant mortality rate fell 20 percent in the last decade.

About 28,000 infants died last year, 7 out of every 1,000 live births. Ten years ago the rate was nearly 9 for every 1,000 births.

Apparently preventative prenatal care and modern technology help lower the infant mortality rate. Moms are getting the don’t-smoke, don’t-drink, don’t-do-drugs message. Plus, we have a pediatric ward full of technological marvels to help newborns.

Add it all up and our infant mortality is improving. For years our infant mortality had been a sore spot. We historically ranked 10 to 15 in the world in infant mortality, far behind other less developed countries.

Some have taken the low ranking as a sign that our health care is not very good. Well think again. Now we’re moving up in the pecking order. Some day we will be at the top of the heap.

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