Health officials in Mississippi have declared a public emergency over the state’s rising infant mortality rate, which is the highest it’s been in a decade. Data from 2024 show that for every 1,000 infant births in the state, there were 9.7 deaths within the first year of life—up from 8.9 in 2023.

“Every single infant loss represents a family devastated, a community impacted and a future cut short,” said state health officer Dr. Dan Edney in a statement declaring the public health emergency, which allows the state to mobilize resources more quickly than it otherwise would have.

According to state data, 3,527 babies have died in Mississippi before age 1 since 2014. The state saw a particularly high increase in neonatal deaths, which occur during the first month of life, and a very high o

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