Southern state declares health emergency over record number of babies dying before their first birthday

Daily Mail UK ^ | August 25, 2025 | Luke Andrews

[Morgana]

Mississippi has declared a public health emergency after infant deaths in the state surged to their highest level in 15 years.

Latest data showed 323 babies died in the state before their first birthday in 2024, or a death rate of 9.7 fatalities per 1,000 births.

That is up from 8.9 per 1,000 the prior year, and the highest rate since 2009 when the rate was 10.1 per 1,000.

Mississippi has had the worst infant mortality rate in the nation for seven years, and was well above the national average of 5.6 deaths per 1,000 in 2023, the latest national data available.

Health officials are not sure what is driving the uptick but blame a combination of problems transferring expectant mothers between hospitals, limited access to doctors and rural travel times to care.

Most of the state's infant deaths are linked to preterm births, birth defects, low birthweight, birth defects and sudden infant death syndrome, the unexplained sudden death of a baby before their first birthday.

State Health Officer Dr Dan Edney said: 'Too many Mississippi families are losing their babies before their first birthday.

'Every single infant loss represents a family devastated, a community impacted, and a future cut short. We cannot and will not accept these numbers as our reality.

'Declaring this a public health emergency is more than a policy decision; it is an urgent commitment to save lives.'

The emergency declaration allows the Mississippi State Department of Health to access and quickly allocate funds to agencies to tackle the crisis.

It also allows the department to set standards for maternal and infant care statewide and protocols for transferring patients between hospitals, helping to slash fatalities.

[mewzilla]

Maternal age may figure in here, too, as well as obesity.