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Hello, and welcome to Insider’s Health TV. Where we bring you the freshest happenings
in the world of medicine without the quack propaganda. Today we’ll be talking about
the startling news that the U.S. is ranked 41st in the world in newborn deaths… and
why we aren’t getting any better.
The World Health Organization published a study, looking at newborn deaths in over 200
countries during the last twenty years. Overall, annual infant mortality decreased from 4.6
million to 3.3 million between 1990 and 2009, but it’s not all good news for the United
States. Our country had the 28th lowest infant death rate in 1989, but with a current average
of 4.3 deaths per 1,000 live births, we’re now tied at 41st with Qatar, Croatia, and
the United Arab Emirates.
Have we gotten worse while the rest of the world improved? No. But we aren’t making
the progress that a lot of countries are, and it is rooted in our lack of attention,
funding, and policy changes that are aimed at reducing neonatal deaths. In many places
around the world, there are government-funded programs aimed at training midwives and community
health workers to help lower the infant mortality rate. But these ideas are taken for granted
in much of our own healthcare system.
The biggest glaring fact is this… the three leading causes of infant death are all preventable.
Preterm delivery, asphyxia, and infection can all be treated and cured. It’s just
up to our country to make more of an effort to get the word out.
After all, 41st isn’t acceptable for a country that prides itself on being number one.
That’s it for this edition of Insider’s Health TV. I’m your host, Kimberly Walleston.
And remember: it’s your health. We’re just helping you think outside the docs.