Infant Mortality Rate Rises Slightly In Guilford County

The Guilford County Department of Public Health has released the most recent numbers on infant mortality. New data show the rate rose slightly in 2017.

Infant mortality is defined as the death of a child between when they're born and the child's first birthday.

The latest numbers show that nearly ten babies died for every one thousand live births in the county in 2017. And there's still a large racial disparity, with African-American babies making up more than half the total.

Charmaine Purdum of the Guilford County Coalition on Infant Mortality says this is a complex health issue.

“CDC [Centers For Disease Control] ranks infant mortality as the number one indicator of the overall health status of a community," Purdum says. "And they often say that infant mortality is a social condition with a medical consequence.”

Purdum says preconception health is crucial. She advises potential mothers and those who are pregnant to take folic acid, avoid second-hand smoke, seek prenatal care, and once a baby is born, to practice safe sleeping habits.