US infant mortality rises for the first time in 20 years

Infant mortality in the US rose by 3% in 2022, increasing for the first time in 20 years from 5.44 per 1000 live births in 2021 to 5.60, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported.1 This is in stark contrast to a decline of 22% in infant mortality between 2002 and 2021.The increase is part of worsening US health in almost every area when compared with other prosperous industrial nations. US life expectancy fell to 76.4 in 2021, the lowest level since 1996. Maternal mortality is 70 per 100 000 live births for black women, who face two and a half times the risk of dying during pregnancy, childbirth, and the year postpartum as white women.234567In 2022 a total of 20 538 infants under 12 months died in the US, up from 19 928 in 2021, the latest CDC report said. The rise in mortality increased significantly only…
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