Mississippi’s health department said it declared a public health emergency last week due to rising infant mortality rates in the state.
Data released by the state show that the mortality rate increased to 9.7 per 1,000 live births in 2024, the “highest in more than a decade,” according to a statement from the Mississippi Department of Health on Aug. 21. It said that 3,527 infants have died before the age of 1 since 2014.
“Every single infant loss represents a family devastated, a community impacted and a future cut short,” State Health Officer Dr. Dan Edney said in the statement. “We cannot and will not accept these numbers as our reality. Declaring this a public health emergency is more than a policy decision; it is an urgent commitment to save lives.”…