Orange County saw a decline in the number of babies that died in 2009 compared with the previous year, a release from the Orange County Health Department said on Thursday. Fewer births and ramped up messaging to women of child bearing age and expectant mothers, it is believed, contributed to the decline in infant mortality.
Overall, 15,393 babies were born in Orange County in 2009, a decline of 7.1 percent compared to 2008. Similarly, the number of births of Black babies fell to 5,380, a decline of 6.1 percent compared to the previous year. The overall drop in births could explain, in part, the decline in infant mortality.
In 2009, Orange County recorded 94 infant deaths compared to 150 in 2008, translating into an infant mortality rate of 6.1 per 1,000 live births, the lowest in ten years, compared to 9.1 in 2008. Fifty six (56) fewer babies died than the previous year.
“The birth of a baby is a blessing to any community”, said Linda Sutherland, Director of the Healthy Start Coalition. “Saving one baby is potential for us all. You never know what that child could have achieved.”
Infant mortality rates, while higher among Black babies, also showed an improvement in 2009. The Black infant mortality rate in Orange County for 2009 was 12.2 per 1,000 live births compared to 17.8 during 2008.
A spokesperson for the Orange County Health Department said over the past two years, there had been a greater push to get the message out to women of childbearing age and expectant mothers that late prenatal care, being overweight, smoking, substance abuse, poor nutrition, domestic violence, and pre-term labor were all factors that contributed to infant mortality. In this connection, greater use of public service announcements, news releases, bill boards, and videos, among other communication tools, have been employed to get the message out.
“One year is not a trend, so we have to be cautious with a single year’s statistics, but we are pleased with this year’s indicator,” said Dr. Kevin M. Sherin, Director of the Orange County Health Department. “Infant mortality is an important measure for the overall health of our community, and the Orange County Infant Mortality Task Force strives to save more babies.”
