CDC: Infant mortality rate in US had largest increase in 2 decades

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the infant mortality rate rose 3% last year in the United States which is the highest increase in twenty years, according to a report the agency published on Wednesday.

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The total number of infant deaths in 2022 was 20,538, according to the CDC. This was a 3% increase from 2021 which had 19,928 infant deaths.

The provisional infant mortality rate for 2022 was 5.60 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, the CDC said.

Key facts from the CDC:

• Infant mortality rates increased in four states - Georgia, Iowa, Missouri and Texas.
• Neonatal infant deaths - Mortality rate increased 3%
• Postneonatal infant deaths - Mortality rate increased 4%
• Infants born to American Indian, Alaska Native and White women saw a significant increase in mortality rates.
• Infants born to women ages 25 - 29 - Infant mortality rates increased significantly from 5.15 to 5.37.
• Mortality rates increased for male infants from 5.83 infant deaths per 1,000 live births to 6.06.
• Two leading causes for increased mortality rates included maternal complications and bacterial sepsis.

Danielle Ely, a health statistician for the National Center for Health Statistics and one of the report’s authors told CNN that infant mortality rate is often used as a benchmark for the country’s health system at large. She also said it could be a “weird blip” for a year in the data or a sign that there is a healthcare issue at play.

“It would appear that some of the states could be having a larger impact on the (national) rate,” Ely said, according to The Associated Press.

Rachel Hardeman, a professor of health and racial equity at the University of Minnesota, said according to CNN, that the data could be “a product of the COVID-19 pandemic which put a strain on communities and health resources.”

Dr. Eric Eichenwald, a Philadelphia-based neonatologist said the data was “disturbing,” according to the AP. He also said a possible cause for some of the infant deaths could be related to RSV and flu infections which saw a rebound last year following the pandemic precautions.