Another sign that things are going great!
The national rate rose to 5.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, up from from 5.44 per 1,000 the year before, the new report said.
The increase may seem small, but it's the first statistically significant jump in the rate since the increase between 2001 and 2002, said Danielle Ely, the CDC report's lead author. She also said researchers couldn't establish whether the 2022 rise was a one-year statistical blip - or the beginning of a more lasting trend.
The CDC said preliminary data suggests the increase is continuing, with quarterly rates in the first quarter of 2023 higher than they were at the same time in 2022.
Overall in the U.S., the death rate fell 5% in 2022 — a general decrease that's been attributed to the waning impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially on people 65 and older. U.S. maternal deaths also fell last year.
More than 30 states saw at least slight rises in infant mortality rates in 2022, but four had statistically significant increases - Georgia, Iowa, Missouri and Texas.
In numbers, U.S. infant deaths surpassed 20,500 in 2022 — 610 more than the year before nationwide. Georgia had 116 more infant deaths than the year before, and Texas had 251 more.
Abortion laws forcing women to give birth to unhealthy babies and/or covid adding to the disease burden?
:so-far: