U.S. has second worst newborn death rate in modern world, report says

[kurth]

(CNN) -- An estimated 2 million babies die within their first 24 hours each year worldwide and the United States has the second worst newborn mortality rate in the developed world, according to a new report.

American babies are three times more likely to die in their first month as children born in Japan, and newborn mortality is 2.5 times higher in the United States than in Finland, Iceland or Norway, Save the Children researchers found... "The United States has more neonatologists and neonatal intensive care beds per person than Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, but its newborn rate is higher than any of those countries," said the annual State of the World's Mothers report.

The report, which analyzed data from governments, research institutions and international agencies, found higher newborn death rates among U.S. minorities and disadvantaged groups. For African-Americans, the mortality rate is nearly double that of the United States as a whole, with 9.3 deaths per 1,000 births...

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/parenting/05/08/mothers.index/index.html

[Erika]

1. Yes, the poor do not get prenatal care

Many of the middle class cannot afford pre-natal care. The rich with insurance are the only ones who can afford the care. They have the special care for babies conceived with help and the preemies.

The working conditions, the stress, and the economic factors weigh heavily against our minorities.

America has become a country that only takes care of its rich whites. How shameful.

[WiseButAngrySara]

4. I agree. It is disgusting. I am ashamed of this country. ....n/t

[niallmac]

2. It is sad that the despots have control of our 'Christian'

institutions and that the church does not represent social activism.
We have a church every other block here in Boise and yet the politics
is soooo conservative. The churches do good works that is true but
they stand quietly by as this government deals out it's soul sapping
policies toward the poor, the minorities and the luckless innocent
brown people overseas whom we eternally rain our bombs down upon.
I am not religious at all but I am not anti church. I hold hope that
just as the Catholic church, once in a while, in South America stood up
to the fascists so will ours decide that they and not the State Dept will
interpret the Gospels.
I'm kind of out of my league here on this one but I am posting anyway.

[WiseButAngrySara]

5. The churches had a lot to do with the Civil Rights Movement and

Viet Nam. I think they are finally waking up to some of the social evils that this current administration has caused over the last five years. And to the fact that B* is not Christian.

[niallmac]

9. Agreed and I so hope you are right. n/t

[gumby]

3. Don't you know "we" have the "Best" medical system?

Just ask Rush Limbaugh and all the other reich-wingers.

And who cares if "those" babies die anyway? Again, ask Rush.

[Erika]

6. Those poor babies are the ones Rush

wants working at cheap wages so he can keep his Florida Mansion and alimony for all of his ex wives.

[Erika]

7. America will be forced to acknowledge that we have an inferior

health care system where only the rich can get insurance and health care. The Bushbots want to hide it but we are fast becoming a third world country with our middle class and our low income receiving no health care.

[Bruden]

8. When we deliberately deny care to millions, I'm surprised we do that well.

[Erika]

10. Welcome to DU, Bruden n/t

[gumby]

11. Why don't the Democrats

present health care and education as "National Security" positions? I'm soo old, I remember when this country agreed with these concepts.

[kestrel91316]

12. We should rejoice - all those newborn babies going straight to JEBUS.

[Horse with no Name]

13. The measure of a society is determined by the way it treats its most

vulnerable members.
So we have babies dying and old people eating dog food because they can't afford food AND medication here in the richest country in the world.
Not working out very well for us, is it?

[gumby]

14. That 'measure' is not only 'the most vulnerable.'

Unless you're among the 'rich,' we're all vulnerable now.

[JVS]

15. Who has the worst in the developed world?

[JVS]

16. IN YOUR FACE LATVIA!

Hooooowaaaaahhhh!

[Horse with no Name]

17. Don't forget Poland!

Poland is very supportive of our policies.

[Horse with no Name]

18. Anyone see anything extremely conspicuous about this?

Cuba is missing.
But we can't talk about that because everything in Cuba is BAD under Castro.
However, his country, under economic sanctions, has achieved what the United States cannot. Low infant mortality--and we won't even mention that he has evacuation plans in place for an entire country in the event of a major hurricane.

http://www.medicc.org/medicc_review/0105/pages/top_story.html

Once again, Cuba has recorded a drop in infant mortality, posting a nationwide rate of 5.8 deaths per 1000 live births for 2004. Down from 6.3 in 2003, this is the lowest infant mortality rate in the country's history and places the small island nation just behind Canada for the lowest rate in the hemisphere (see Table 1 for a country-by-country comparison).

[JVS]

19. maybe they don't consider Cuba a developed country?

[Horse with no Name]

20. Obviously it is more advanced than we are

at least in the care of ALL of it's citizens. When comparing the healthcare of it's citizens, the Cubans do a much better job with fewer resources than we do here.

>>>snip
Despite Draconian economic measures imposed by the US embargo - which has direct consequences for the health and well-being of the Cuban population - it's no secret how Cuba has achieved such low mortality rates in children under 12 months. According to officials from the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) and representatives of UNICEF, Cuba's high standard of newborn health is attributable to the level of education among expectant mothers and the free, universal access to health care afforded all Cubans, with the latter translating into better lifelong health. This is true nationwide, both in the cities and countryside.

http://www.medicc.org/medicc_review/0105/pages/headlines_in_cuban_health.html#2
The program received additional attention and support as a result of the 2003 national study on disabilities, which assessed a wide range of both physical and mental disabilities, including mental retardation. During the study, led by current First Vice Minister of Public Health Marcia Cobas, virtually everybody in the country with these disabilities were visited at their homes, in order to reaffirm diagnosis and treatment protocols, as well as to assess other problems that they might have - whether strictly medical or social - and begin to offer assistance in that regard.