infant mortality

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Want to Save Babies? Protect Bats
In Bat Die-Off, Human
Infants Also Paid the Price
NEW STUDY

In Bat Die-Off, Human Infants Also Paid the Price

New research shows that when bats died of fungal disease, infants also died, possibly due to pesticide

(Newser) - When a deadly fungal disease from Europe spread to bats in the United States, killing off colonies of the creatures, one scientist wanted to see what such a bat die-off would mean in other ways. What the University of Chicago's Eyal Frank found: that in counties where infected bats...

US Infant Mortality Rate Went the Wrong Way Last Year

At 3%, it's the largest increase in 2 decades, reports the CDC

(Newser) - The US infant mortality rate rose 3% last year—the largest increase in two decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. White and Native American infants, infant boys, and babies born at 37 weeks or earlier had significant death rate increases, reports the AP . The CDC's...

Even Rich Black Families Face Worse Birth Outcomes
Even Rich Black Families
Face Worse Birth Outcomes
new study

Even Rich Black Families Face Worse Birth Outcomes

Findings suggest structural issues are involved, experts say

(Newser) - Data have long shown that Black mothers and their children suffer the worst birth outcomes in the US. Now a large study has shown that parental income is a reliable predictor, as well—but there's an exception, the New York Times reports. Wealthy mothers are the most likely to...

One County Has 85 Infants With the Virus

'That's why we're asking people to wear face masks,' says Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales

(Newser) - One Texas county is offering two sad statistics: Eighty-five infants with the coronavirus and one who died from it. "We currently have 85 babies under the age of one year in Nueces County that have all tested positive for Covid-19," said Annette Rodriguez, director of public health for...

Study Highlights Tragic Risks of Smoking While Pregnant

Just one cigarette per day while pregnant doubles baby's risk of unexpected death

(Newser) - A new study finds dire statistics for women who smoke while pregnant: Even one cigarette a day doubles your baby's risk of sudden unexpected infant death. SUID is defined as any death of an infant under 1 year of age from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), accidental suffocation or...

Appalachia Behind Rest of US on Infant Mortality
Smoking Taking
'Tremendous Toll'
on Appalachians
NEW STUDY

Smoking Taking 'Tremendous Toll' on Appalachians

Region is behind rest of US on infant mortality

(Newser) - Placing much of the blame on smoking, a study chronicling the ongoing health crisis in Appalachia has concluded that the 13-state region suffers from a growing disparity in infant mortality and life expectancy, two key indicators of "a nation's health and well-being." The study, published in the...

Baby Dies After Being Starved in Car Seat for Days: Cops

Michigan mom charged with first-degree murder

(Newser) - A young mother in Michigan has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree child abuse after allegedly strapping her 6-month-old son into a car seat for two days without food or water. Lovily Johnson, 22, had a personal protection order against the father of her 2-year-old daughter in 2016, and...

NJ Sending All Parents Home With Baby Boxes

Box is filled with essentials, doubles as newborn's bed

(Newser) - New parents in New Jersey will soon be going home with a "baby box" that's filled with essentials and doubles as a newborn's bed. The first-in-the-nation program is intended to educate parents and reduce deaths by Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, the Philly Voice reports. Funded by a...

Oil-Rich Area Sees Spike in Baby Deaths

13 infant mortalities in Vernal, Utah, raise questions

(Newser) - Thirteen baby deaths in one part of Utah last year have some locals and scientists asking whether oil drilling is to blame, the Denver Post reports. Almost 12,000 gas and oil wells add to air pollution in Vernal, Utah—one of the nation's most energy-intensive areas—but many...

Boys More Likely to Be Born Too Soon
Boys More Likely
to Be Born Too Soon
STUDY SAYS

Boys More Likely to Be Born Too Soon

'Kangaroo' care can help premature babies survive

(Newser) - In what researchers call a "double whammy for boys," new research has found that they are more likely to be born premature and more likely to die or suffer disabilities from being born too soon. Researchers say the disparity—around 55% of premature births are male—happens all...

US Infant Mortality Rate Down 12% Since 2005

Southern states see biggest improvement

(Newser) - After holding steady from 2000 through 2005, the US infant mortality rate dropped 12% from 2005 through 2011, according to a new CDC report . In 2011, the rate was 6.05 deaths of babies less than a year old for every 1,000 births, down from 6.87 in 2000....

Worst Place to Be a Mom: Niger
 Worst Place to Be a Mom: Niger 

Worst Place to Be a Mom: Niger

US inches up from 31st to 25th: Save the Children report

(Newser) - Good news for American moms: The United States is a slightly better place to be a mother than it was last year, according to Save the Children's 13th annual report on the topic. The US rose from 31st to 25th place in its look at 165 countries. For the...

17 Infants Die in 48 Hours at Indian Hospital

Hospital denies negligence, but state is investigating

(Newser) - At least 17 infants have died in the last 48 hours at a government-run hospital in eastern India, and the state is investigating, media reported today. The babies were either premature, suffering from septicemia, or had low birth weight problems, said the chief of BC Roy Hospital for Children, who...

Best Place to Be a Mom Is ...
 Best Place to Be a Mom Is... 

Best Place to Be a Mom Is...

...Norway, says index that considers maternity leave, mortality rates

(Newser) - Moms who want the good life should consider heading north. That's because Norway is the best place in the world to be a mother, according to new survey. Why? Norway has great health benefits, an average year-long maternity leave from work, and low child mortality rates, along with a...

A Few Nasty Germs May Actually Help Babies

Scientists investigate healing power of dirt

(Newser) - Babies in America tend to be a lot cleaner than those in, say, Namibia, and that has some advantages—most notably a drastically lower infant mortality rate. But scientists are beginning to wonder if our obsessively sanitary culture has actually given rise to various health issues, they tell the Wall ...

Fans Linked to Lower Risk of Infant Death

72% fewer SIDS deaths in bedrooms with better air circulation

(Newser) - A simple fan could be the key to reducing the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, reports ABC News. Researchers discovered that babies who slept in a room with a fan were 72% less likely to die from SIDS, according to the study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and ...

China's One-Child Policy Leads to Nation of Angry Men

Huge gender imbalance spurs skyrocketing crime rate

(Newser) - China’s got a big problem, one of its own making. The nation's one-child policy, now 30 years old, has resulted in a land of angry, testosterone-filled young men unable to find wives, writes Mara Hvistendahl in the New Republic. Finally worried about the world's biggest gender imbalance and its...

45K Dying Each Month in Congo
45K Dying Each Month in Congo

45K Dying Each Month in Congo

Civil war's over, but disease, malnutrition keep killing

(Newser) - The civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo officially ended in 2002, but it's still killing 45,000 people a month, a new study concludes.  Malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia, and malnutrition caused by 10 years of conflict—not to mention continuing armed skirmishes in the east—have left 5....

Clinton Summit Pulls in Billions
Clinton Summit Pulls in Billions

Clinton Summit Pulls in Billions

Norway, Netherlands, Brangelina vow to help

(Newser) - Over 1,000 philanthropists pledged billions of dollars at this year's Clinton Global Initiative, where the ex-president annually brings together world leaders, corporate biggies and change-minded celebs. Angelina Jolie plans to educate 1 million children in conflicted areas; Brad Pitt pledged $5 million to build homes in New Orleans, and...

1 Million Cribs Recalled
1 Million Cribs Recalled

1 Million Cribs Recalled

Improper installation may lead to infant death, entrapment

(Newser) - Following the deaths of at least three children, the Consumer Product Safety Commission today recalled roughly 1 million Simplicity and Graco cribs. "We do not want your child in that crib tonight," a CPSC spokesman told the Chicago Tribune. The cribs, manufactured in China, can trap and suffocate...

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