Child deaths in Kansas increased from 2012 to 2013. That’s according to a report from the state Attorney General’s office.
According to a newly released report from the Kansas State Child Death Review Board, 447 children from newborn to 17 years of age died in Kansas in 2013, an increase of nearly seven percent from the year before.
Kansas’s infant mortality rate also increased slightly for the same time period. The report showed that the rate of infant deaths – which includes newborns through one year of age – increased to 6.9 deaths per 1,000 live births—up from 6.5 in 2012. That is higher than the national average 5.96 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Natural deaths, including Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, are still the leading cause.
The data is provided to organizations across the state in order to find solutions for rising numbers of child deaths.
Past reports from the Sedgwick County Health Department have stated that Sedgwick County’s infant mortality rate is even higher than the state average.