Child mortality is the demise of a newborn before one year is over. The number of newborns that die for each one thousand live births is what is referred to as the mortality rate. The mortality rate is a very essential aspect in the general wellbeing of the society, it provides data regarding the health of infants and their mothers. The mortality rate for newborns in the U.S in 2017 was 5.8 fatalities for each 1,000 deliveries. In 2017 it is estimated that 22,000 infants passed away in the United states. Infant mortality was mainly caused by births that were preterm, complications during pregnancy, birth defects, unexpected development of death syndrome and injuries like suffocation. Birth defects and preterm deliveries are the major causes of infant mortality followed by unexpected death syndrome, injuries and pregnancy complications. Pregnancy is associated with many uncomfortable and usual body changes, which makes it hard especially for first time mothers to realize which symptoms are normal and those that are not ( Murray, Kulkarni & Ezzati, 2005).
In the U.S it is estimated that about 1 baby in every 33 that are born yearly have common or critical birth defects. A baby with defects is born after every four and a half minutes which translates to more than 120,000 infants born with defects annually (CDC, 2017). It is therefore essential to learn ways in which birth defects can be prevented and treated, in addition to how babies born healthy can be kept healthy. Birth defects can be change in any body structure such as hands, brain, feet, lungs or the heart. Majority of defects interfere with the normal body functioning severely or mildly hence interfering with the estimated lifespan of the individual. Many defects are identified during the first few months of their lives, which can be after the delivery, during the delivery or before delivery. Some can be easily detected while some require specialized equipment to identify them (Preston & Haine, 2014)
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Birth defects in infants are caused by inherited genes, environmental conditions and maternal deeds during pregnancy like drinking, smoking, drug abuse etc., though there is no definite understanding of how all these combined result to defects ( Johnson, Hayes, Brown, Hoo & Ethier, 2014). In a recent survey it was deduced that survival rates were low for babies born of Hispanic and black mothers as compared to those born by white mothers. The survival rates for infants in the three races were tracked using 12 systems, and the disparities were moderate to minimal within the first 28 days. The survival rate from one month to twelve months was lower for infants born by black mothers for 13 or every 21 defects studied and for infants bore to Hispanic women was 10 defective births for every 21 examined (CDC, 2017).
Infant mortality associated with preterm deliveries in 2017 were about one baby for every 10 delivered babies. This rate showed an increase as opposed to the constant decrease showed in surveys conducted in 2007 through to 2014. CDC survey illustrates that the rate of preterm delivery rate varies between the different races. 14% of preterm babies were African Americans while 9% were white babies, this shows that African-Americans have 50% higher chances of delivering before the due date as compared to those of white ethnicity (Satcher, 2001). Babies born before time are likely to suffer from breathing difficulties, cerebral palsy, hearing difficulties and in severe cases death occurs ( Barfield et al, 2013).
This clearly indicates that there are some health areas that the U.S should pay great attention to in order to decrease the mortality rate as currently, it is failing greatly. There are several gaps that exist in the social security net and social differences that greatly influence families, which unequally affect the health of the mother and child. If the U.S is to invest in the future of their nation, they need to do so by ensuring that infants survive and thrive.
References
Barfield, W., D’Angelo, D., Moon, R., Lu, M., Wong, B., & Iskander, J. (2013). CDC grand rounds: public health approaches to reducing US infant mortality. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 62(31), 625.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Update on Overall Prevalence of Major Birth Defects–Atlanta, Georgia, 1978-2005. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2017;57(1):1-5.
Johnson, N. B., Hayes, L. D., Brown, K., Hoo, E. C., & Ethier, K. A. (2014). CDC National Health Report: leading causes of morbidity and mortality and associated behavioral risk and protective factors—United States, 2005–2013.
Murray, C. J., Kulkarni, S., & Ezzati, M. (2005). Eight Americas: new perspectives on US health disparities. American journal of preventive medicine, 29(5), 4-10.
Preston, S. H., & Haines, M. R. (2014). Fatal years: Child mortality in late nineteenth-century America (Vol. 1175). Princeton University Press.
Satcher, D. (2001). Our commitment to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities. Yale J. Health Pol'y L. & Ethics, 1, 1.
