Crib deaths fall to record low in England and Wales

Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-18 03:53:49|Editor: yan
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LONDON, Aug 17 (Xinhua) -- The number of so-called "cot deaths" or "crib deaths" in England and Wales have fallen to the lowest total on record, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported Thursday.

In its latest report, ONS said during 2015, the last year for which records are available, there were 191 unexplained deaths among infants aged one year or under.

With a rate of 0.27 deaths per 1,000 live births; the latest figure follows a decreasing trend that has generally been seen over the last decade, said ONS.

Around 6 in every 10 unexplained deaths were recorded as sudden infant deaths, more commonly known as cot deaths or crib deaths.

During the year there were 117 "cot deaths" with the remaining 74 registered as unascertained deaths of infants.

ONS statistician Vasita Patel said: "Unexplained infant deaths in 2015 were the lowest on record, driven by a further decrease in sudden infant deaths from 2014. This could be due to a greater awareness of safe sleeping practices and a reduction in the number of mothers smoking during pregnancy."

A decrease in maternal smoking could explain the drop in numbers of unexplained infant deaths, says the ONS report.

ONS said following an unexpected rise in 2013, unexplained infant deaths continued to decrease to 217 in 2014 and to 191 in 2015. This has resulted in an overall 29.1 percent decrease in the number of sudden infant deaths since 2013.

Research shows that babies whose mothers smoke have an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome, compared with babies whose mothers do not smoke, and that the level of risk is greater with increasing levels of maternal smoking.

A recent study has shown that the number of mothers smoking during pregnancy, has continued to fall which could be a reason for the decrease in the number of unexplained infant deaths.

Other risk factors for unexplained infant deaths are overheating and an unsafe sleeping environment, such as the baby's head being covered.

According to the statistics, boys accounted for two-thirds of all unexplained infant deaths.

The highest number of unexplained deaths during the year occurred in Yorkshire and the Humber England, with a rate of 0.42 deaths per 1,000 live births, though this was a decrease from 0.48 in the previous twelve months.

The study also shows the number of unexplained baby deaths in mothers aged 20 or under has halved since 2013, while for moms aged 20 to 24 the decrease has been around 40 percent.

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