Data on Maternal Mortality Hasn’t Changed. Black Women Fare the Worst

The number of infants that die before their first birthday is still a pressing concern in America. Infant mortality is on the decline, but more can be done to prevent infant deaths – especially among black women.Nearly 300,000 women died from needless complications during pregnancy and childbirth in 2017, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Most of those deaths occurred in developing countries. Globally, governments and public health agencies have made maternal mortality a priority as part of their work to improve the well-being and the quality of life of constituents.American Infant Mortality by the NumbersInfant mortality occurs when a child passes away before their first birthday. Researchers measure the infant mortality rate by recording the number of infant deaths compared to every 1,000 live births.This metric gives physicians and other healthcare stakeholders vital data about the health of mothers and their babies. It’s a measure of the overall health of the population. In the United States, the infant mortality rate was 5.8 deaths for every 1,000 live births. For black infants, however, that number was nearly twice as high, coming in at and infant mortality rate of 11.3 deaths for every 1,000 live births.Healthy People is an organization ...


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