WVU in the News: West Virginia infant mortality rates exceed national rate
In the United States, two babies die every hour before reaching their first birthday in what one advocacy specialist calls a crisis that has gone unnoticed by many.
The United States’ infant mortality rate is higher than many other developed nations, according to the United Health Foundation, and West Virginia’s infant death rate exceeds the national average.
Alarming racial disparities in infant mortality are also apparent in data. In the period from 2015 through 2017, Black babies were nearly two times more likely than White babies to die within their first year of life in West Virginia, according to Dr. Lauri Andress, West Virginia University assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy, Management and Leadership.
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