Public Health Approaches to Reducing U.S. Infant Mortality

In today’s MMWR release, CDC reports on a recent session of Grand Rounds that explored public health approaches to reducing U.S. infant mortality. The infant mortality rate (IMR), the rate at which babies less than one year of age die, has continued to steadily decline in the U.S. over the past several decades. Based on preliminary data, the IMR 2011 had declined to 6.05 overall. Despite overall progress, racial disparities in infant mortality persist and preventable infant deaths continue to occur.

This article is very timely as next month (September) is the annual observance of National Infant Mortality Awareness Month. It highlights some, but not all, approaches being used in addressing this national health priority. Perhaps one of the most important approaches is that partnerships in clinical, public health, and social services fields continue to provide new insights and evidence.