More on infant mortality
One thing my story today on infant mortality in North Carolina didn't get into was how the U.S. stacks up against comparable nations. I ran out of time and room, and the report that prompted the story focused on North Carolina, not other states or the nation as a whole.
Problem is, well, there's a problem. The United Health Foundation ranks the U.S. 26th out of 30 industrialized nations in terms of infant mortality. There are a lot of reasons why that might be, of course -- race and class issues, poor lifestyle choices, the lack of national prenatal care and so forth. As a newcomer to covering health, I find it odd that on the national level and in the South, infant mortality doesn't appear to be a particularly high priority in terms of fund-raising and prevention.
P.S.: It looks like I can post but comments aren't showing up. They're working on it. Thanks for your patience.
