MSDH Spotlights Infant Mortality Month

Jackson, Miss. — September is Infant Mortality Awareness Month, and the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) is shining the spotlight on reducing the number of babies who die before their first birthday.

Each September, MSDH and other public health agencies bring awareness to infant mortality rates (IMR), which are the number of infants who die per 1,000 births. The goal of the month is to highlight social determinants of health and the prevention of preterm and early term births.

IMR have fluctuated over the past five years in Mississippi, with the highest being in 2021, when the state had the dubious distinction of ranking worst in the nation with 9.3 deaths per 1,000 births. The rate showed some improvement in 2022, decreasing from 9.3 to 9.2.

“From the Department of Health and the Office of Women’s Health, I want to take a moment to thank those individuals who have played a key role in the positive trends we are seeing in relation to infant health,” said Dr. Daniel Edney, state health officer. “The rate of infant deaths in Mississippi is showing an improvement but still remains too high.”

IMR is an indicator of the overall health of a population. Because risk factors such as poverty and access to health care also directly affect the health of infants, it is important to make everyone aware so that social determinants of health are also addressed.

MSDH has several programs that provide access to free resources, including:

• Community baby showers that provide pack-n-plays, sleep sacks and car seats.
• Healthy Moms/Healthy Babies Program that offers home visitation, parental & caregiver education and other safe sleep resources through a partnership with Cribs for Kids.
• Healthy Birthday, Inc.’s Count the Kicks initiative for prevention of stillbirths.
• Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV) that focuses on healthy development and family well-being.
• Partnership with JSU in the Maternal Center of Excellence, where we are implementing a home visitation program encompassing community health workers to help families become healthy and prepared for a newborn.
• Early intervention services for children with identified social service, developmental and medical needs.
• Genetic and newborn screening and counselling for infants born with genetic disorders.
• Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Program (EPSDT) screenings at health departments to identify any potential issues during critical stages of development, as well as immunizations that prevent infant death in the first year.

“We must continue the strategies and initiatives that are being implemented by the hard-working MSDH team members and community partners in order to improve maternal and infant health outcomes,” Edney said. “While this is a slow-moving process, I am positive that we will continue to persevere in this work for the sake of our babies and mothers. I look forward to seeing what this team of dedicated individuals can do to accomplish for the women, children and infants of Mississippi.”

Communities and families should also be proactive by following these recommendations to lower IMR risks:

• Improve infant safe sleep practices to reduce sleep-related deaths.
• Promote early entry into prenatal care (first trimester).
• Eliminate alcohol and tobacco during pregnancy.
• Improve the health of women before and in-between pregnancies.
• Lower the risks of pre-term deliveries among pregnant women.