Infant Mortality Rate Rises For 1st Time In 20 Years: Why Now?

ACROSS AMERICA — The U.S. infant mortality rate increased for the first time in more than two decades, according to a new federal health report released Wednesday that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials find distrubing.

The national rate rose by 3 percent, to 5.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, up from 5.44 per 1,000 the year before, according to the report from the CDC’s National Center of Health Statistics.

Infant mortality is the measure of how many babies die before they reach their first birthday. The number of babies born each year varies, so researchers instead calculate rates to better compare infant mortality over time.

Overall, 30 states saw at least a slight increase in infant mortality rates in 2022, but the spikes were statistically significant in four states — Georgia, Iowa, Missouri and Texas, the report showed.

Dr. Eric Eichenwald, a Philadelphia-based neonatologist, called the new data “disturbing,” but told The Associated Press that experts at this point can only speculate as to why a statistic that has fallen for decades rose sharply in 2022.

“It’s definitely concerning, given that it’s going in the opposite direction from what it has been,” Maria Thoma, a University of Maryland researcher who studies maternal and infant mortality, told the AP.

Historically, the U.S. infant mortality rate has been higher than in other high-income countries, which experts have attributed to poverty, inadequate prenatal care and other possibilities. But even so, the U.S. rate gradually improved because of medical advances and public health efforts.

An increase in RSV and flu infections last fall after two years of pandemic precautions that filled pediatric emergency rooms could potentially account for some of the increase, said Eichenwald, who chairs an American Academy of Pediatrics committee that writes guidelines for the medical care of newborns.

But the report also noted larger increases for two of the leading causes of infant deaths — maternal complications and bacterial meningitis.

Though the increase may seem small, it’s the first statistically significant jump since 2001 and 2002, according to Danielle Ely, the report’s lead author. Experts were unable to establish if 2022 was a statistical blip, or the start of a longer-lasting trend.

In numbers, U.S. infant deaths surpassed 20,500 in 2022 — 610 more than the year before nationwide. But Georgia had 116 more infant deaths than the year before, and Texas had 251 more.

“It would appear that some of the states could be having a larger impact on the (national) rate,” Ely said, adding that smaller increases elsewhere also have an effect — and that it’s hard to parse out exactly what places, policies or other factors are behind the national statistic.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.