Infant deaths highest in Mississippi

The Clarion-Ledger, 10/2/7

Mississippi last year saw its infant mortality rate rise to the worst level in a decade. A year later, the state is still in bad shape, said interim State Health Officer Dr. Ed Thompson.

While the total infant death rate for 1,000 live births is slightly lower than the numbers released last year, the overall numbers show no noteworthy decrease, he said. “We are the worst in the nation, and we are not getting better.”

As a result, Thompson has just asked Gov. Haley Barbour to appoint a blue-ribbon panel to tackle the issue of infant mortality.