Infant Mortality Hits Record U.S. Low

The infant mortality rate in the United States has fallen to an all-time low, and life expectancy at birth has reached a new high of 76.1 years. In 1996, there were 7.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, according to a summary of preliminary 1996 government statistics published in the December issue of Pediatrics. That’s 5% lower than in 1995. The life expectancy for children born in 1996 was 76.1 years, or 0.3 years longer than in 1995, according to the summary, which was based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics and the Census Bureau. Medical developments were the main reasons for the decline in the infant mortality rate, said lead author Dr. Bernard Guyer of Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health in Baltimore. But although science is keeping more children alive, it is also contributing to the growing number of infants with low birth weights--7.4% of all births in 1996, up from 7.3% in 1995 and the highest level reported since 1975.