The Mississippi State Department of Health on Thursday declared a public health emergency in response to a rising infant mortality rate in the state – most of which is occurring among Black babies.

In 2024, Mississippi saw its highest rate of infant deaths in over a decade.

Data shows the death rate for white infants in 2024 was one of the lowest of the last decade, while the rate for Black infants is the highest it’s been. Nearly twice as many Black infants as white ones died last year.

Mississippi is one of the poorest states and has long led the nation in infant mortality, but the worsening numbers and the growing racial disparities call for extraordinary measures, said State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney.

“It hasn’t been this bad in a long time,” Edney told Mississippi Today. “An

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