“Unforgivable” rise in deaths in children must prompt action, health leader warns

The number of child deaths in England has increased by 8% in the past year, from 29.3 to 31.8 deaths per 100 000 children (3743)—the highest since data collection started in 2019.1Deaths in children aged between 1 and 17 years increased by 16% in the year to 31 March 2023 compared with the previous year, while deaths in children under 1 year old increased by 4%, showed data from the National Child Mortality Database. December 2022 saw 391 deaths altogether—the highest number in any single month since 2019.Of the deaths reviewed (3271), the most common likely causes were a perinatal or neonatal event for children under 1, malignancy for children aged between 1 and 9, and suicide or deliberate self-inflicted harm for children aged between 10 and 17.Mortality rates for children of black or black British ethnicity saw the biggest rise from 42.2 per 100 000 in 2022 to 56.6…
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