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Infant mortality in the United States

Infant mortality is a serious problem in the United States. Improvements have been made in the infant death rate since the early twentieth century. At that time, one out of every ten infants in America died before the age of one; today, however, "thanks to major strides in nutrition, sanitation and medical care, 99 out of 100 survive infancy" (Cowley, 1991, p. 18). Nevertheless, the rate of infant mortality today is astonishingly high for an industrially developed nation like the United States. As noted by M. P. Stanton (1990), "each year approximately 40,000 babies die in the first twelve months of life" (p. 18). In 1989, the annual rate in America reached a peak of 9.7 infant deaths per 1,000 births (Painton, 1991, p. 30). In 1990, that figure dropped to 9.1 deaths per 1,000 births (A few more first birthdays, 1991, p. 33). Thus, it can be seen that there has been a slight improvement in the infant mortality rate in recent years. Despite this improvement, however, the United States still has a relatively high rate in comparison with the other developed nations of the world. As reported by G. Cowley (1991), "such rates are a far cry from India's 97 deaths per 1,000 or Guinea's 143, but they're among the highest in the industrialized world" (p. 18). Painton has noted that infant mortality in the United States "now stands at twice the rate of Japan and below that of 23 other countries, including less affluent ones like Spain and Singapore" (p. 30). It is ironic that the United States ranks so low in the category of infant morality. Many people are shocked to learn this fact, particularly in light of the commonly accepted view that "the United States has such advanced medical care and is one of the most affluent countries in the world" (Stanton, 1990, p. 37). In the words of Dr. Louis Sullivan, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the high rate of infant deaths in the United States is "almost obscene fo...

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Infant mortality in the United States. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 00:41, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1705265.html