Kristie McNealy, MD

According to birth data analyzed by the CDC, the US infant mortality rate dropped by 2% in 2006.  But, before you cheer, they say we are sill falling further behind the infant mortality rate of other industrialized nations.  While the US ranked 12th in the world for infant mortality in 1960, we had sunk to 29th by 2004, tied with Poland and Slovakia.

What does this have to do with prematurity?  Well, in 2005, babies who were born premature accounted for 68.6% of infant deaths in the United States.  In addition, very preterm infants made up more than half of all infant deaths.  Between 2000 and 2005, very preterm birth increased by 5%, and there was little improvement in survival among these extremely fragile babies.  On top of that, the incidence of late preterm birth (34-36 weeks) increased 11% from 2000 to 2005, and these babies have an infant mortality rate that is 3 times higher than babies born at term.

The take home message here is two-fold:

• More than 2/3 of babies who die in the US are born premature,
• and to significantly impact the US infant mortality rate, we need to give more babies the 9 months they deserve!

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• Petition for Preemies – Blogging for Prematurity Awareness