> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foodconsumer.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Infant mortality slightly down in 2008 - URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/infant_mortality_1012100600/ - Published: 2010-12-10T18:57:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-15T13:04:57.000Z - Description: NCHS preliminary data put the 2008 infant mortality rate at 6.59 deaths per 1,000 live births, 2.4 percent below 2007. Neonatal mortality fell 3.4 percent while postneonatal mortality held steady. The rate for black infants, 12.68, was 2.3 times the white rate of 5.54. - Author: Food Consumer - Tags: Disease, Health News, Infant Mortality, #vivvo-import *The following is cited from a report released on Dec 9 from the National Center for Health Statistics, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, the infant mortality is slightly down compared to that for 2007.* The preliminary infant mortality rate for 2008 was 6.59 infant deaths per 1,000 live births (see Tables A and 4). This represents a decrease of 2.4 percent from the 2007 rate of 6.75\. With the exception of 2002 and 2005, the infant mortality rate has statistically remained the same or decreased significantly each successive year from 1958 through 2008 (13,28). The neonatal (i.e. infants aged less than 28 days) mortality rate decreased 3.4 percent from 4.42 per 1,000 live births in 2007 to 4.27 per 1,000 live births in 2008\. The postneonatal (i.e. infants aged 28 days or more) mortality rate did not change significantly between 2007 and 2008. The 2008 preliminary infant mortality rate for black infants was 12.68 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, compared with 13.24 per 1,000 live births in 2007\. This represents a decrease of 4.2 percent. The infant mortality rate for white infants in 2008 was 5.54 per 1,000 live births, an insignificant decrease compared to the rate of 5.64 per 1,000 live births in 2007\. The mortality rate for black infants was 2.3 times the rate for white infants (See Tables A and 4). Because of inconsistencies in the reporting of race groups on birth and death certificates (especially for races other than white and black and for Hispanic origin), infant mortality rates for these groups are likely to be underestimated (24). The linked birth/infant death data set provides a better source of data for infant deaths and mortality rates by maternal race and ethnicity (29). Although the infant mortality rate is the preferred indicator of the risk of dying during the first year of life, the infant death rate is also shown in this report. While similar, these two rates vary based on differences in their denominators. The denominator of the 2008 infant death rate is the estimated population under 1 year of age as of the reference date, July 1, 2008 (14). This population estimate includes a combination of infants born in 2007 who had not reached their first birthday before July 1, 2008, and infants born in 2008 before July 1, 2008\. In contrast, the denominator of the 2008 infant mortality rate is all live births occurring during 2008 (30). For example, the preliminary number of live births for 2008 (n = 4,251,095) is 1.4 percent lower than the midyear infant population in 2008 (n = 4,313,132). Therefore, the infant mortality rate for 2008 (659.4 deaths per 100,000 live births) is higher than the infant death rate for 2008 (649.9 deaths per 100,000 population). For 2008, both the infant mortality rate and the infant death rate decreased significantly from 2007. The 10 leading causes of infant mortality for 2008 were: 1 Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities 2 Disorders related to short gestation and low birth weight, not elsewhere classified 3 Sudden infant death syndrome 4 Newborn affected by maternal complications of pregnancy 5 Accidents (unintentional injuries) National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 59, No. 2 10 6 Newborn affected by complications of placenta, cord and membranes 7 Bacterial sepsis of newborn 8 Respiratory distress of newborn 9 Diseases of the circulatory system 10 Neonatal hemorrhage The only difference between the leading causes for 2007 (13) and those for 2008 (Table 8) is that Diseases of the circulatory system and Neonatal hemorrhage exchanged rank, the former moving from 10th to 9th and the latter moving from 9th to 10th. The infant mortality rate decreased for 2 of 10 leading causes of death from 2007 to 2008 (Table 8). The infant mortality rate for Bacterial sepsis of newborn—the seventh leading cause of death—decreased by 13.7 percent (Tables 5 and 8). The infant mortality rate for Respiratory distress of newborn—the eighth leading cause of death—decreased by 19.7 percent. Deaths due to SIDS, currently the third leading cause of infant death, have been declining since 1988 (4). The observed decrease in SIDS from 56.8 to 53.9 is not statistically significant. Because SIDS deaths often involve lengthy investigations, the mortality rate due to SIDS is typically lower based on preliminary data than that based on the final data. Recent declines in mortality due to SIDS also may reflect primarily a change in the way SIDS is diagnosed and reported by medical examiners and coroners (31). Observed declines in the infant mortality rate for Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (0.9 percent); Disorders related to short gestation and low birth weight, not elsewhere classified (1.1 percent); Newborn affected by complications of placenta, cord and membranes (4.2 percent); Diseases of the circulatory system (4.1 percent); and Neonatal hemorrhage (5.8 percent) were not statistically significant (Tables 5 and 8). Observed increases in the infant mortality rate for Newborn affected by maternal complications of pregnancy (1.2 percent) and Accidents (unintentional injuries) (2.7 percent) were not statistically significant (Tables 5 and 8).