The Mississippi health department declared a public health emergency Thursday over rising infant mortality rates in the state.

There were 9.7 deaths for every 1,000 births in Mississippi in 2024, the highest rate in more than a decade, according to a news release from the state health department. More than 3,500 babies in Mississippi have died before the age of 1 since 2014.

“Every single infant loss represents a family devastated, a community impacted and a future cut short. We cannot and will not accept these numbers as our reality. Declaring this a public health emergency is more than a policy decision; it is an urgent commitment to save lives,” State Health Officer Dr. Dan Edney said in the release.

An emergency declaration creates certain opportunities for mobilizing resources to

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