US Infant Mortality: 43rd in World -- Worse Than Cuba!

[MannyGoldstein]

I just put up my weekly posting to my web site, Blue Works Better!. URL is http://blueworksbetter.com/InfantMortalityUSvsWorld. This week I compare infant mortality in the US to that of other countries, and we do pretty poorly - surprising, since we keep being told that we have the best medical care in the world. I also put the lie to the theory that our infant mortality stats are only bad because we heroically try to save infants that would otherwise be born dead in other countries.

Comments and criticisms will be greatly appreciated.

[BattyDem]

1. Not surprising because ...

the GOP cares far more about fertilized eggs than actual living, breathing children. If it's inside a woman's body, it's "sacred." However, once that first breathe of air is taken, the kid's on his own. :eyes:

Welcome to DU! :hi:

I'm going to check out your web site. :-)

[sojourner]

2. WOW - Welcome MannyGoldstein -- GREAT website! Kick and recommend-

this is the kind of stuff that we NEED --- a cursory review of your site and the data looks really awesome. I'll try to be more critical next time ;)

Good work! (And methinks it took WORK!)

[MannyGoldstein]

4. Aww shucks. Thanks.

Thanks for your kind words!

It is work, but it's a labor of love. It gives me a chance to constructively vent every week or so.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. But, we have more nukes than everybody else. "USA!!, USA!!"

Sometimes I think we may have our priorites wrong.

[mom cat]

5. The emperor does not care if infants die...only fetuses.

[sojourner]

10. ya think?

frankly i'm getting really worried about the us. about us. :yoiks:

[sojourner]

6. Jeebus People...Kick this UP!! Lots of good work and fantastic research!

[SPKrazy]

29. kick n/t

[sojourner]

30. thanks!

[Deb]

7. Nice job!

:applause: Bookmarked for later use.

[sojourner]

8. kick!

[Jeanette in FL]

9. Very nice site

Lots of very important information. Thanks for sharing this with us. K&R.

[sojourner]

14. hi jeanette in FL! thanks!

:toast:

[laruemtt]

11. i've bookmarked it and

put a shortcut on my desktop for quick easy reference. nice work!

[papau]

12. Nice work Manny. and nice website. :-)

:-)

[sojourner]

13. hi papau...thanks!!!

thanks very much!!! :toast:

[lebkuchen]

15. Cuba's literacy rate is something like 98 percent

What is it in the US?

[sojourner]

18. good question! HEY MANNY!!

[MannyGoldstein]

23. Measuring Literacy is Non-Trivial

First off Sojourner, 1,000 "thank-you"s for promoting the work that I've done :headbang:. I hope that folks enjoy it, and perhaps even learn something.

As to literacy - it's a pretty tough thing to measure. Death, for example, is easy to measure - people are either alive or dead and we do a pretty good job of recording who dies, and how and when. Literacy is fairly subtle - one can be totally illiterate, totally literate, or something in between.

The OECD (my favorite stats organization)did a pretty good study on literacy a few years ago https://www.pisa.oecd.org/dataoecd/43/54/33690904.pdf) which indicates that we do an OK job on literacy - we're pretty much in the middle of the pack of the 30 or so countries studied, mostly industrialized countries (Unfortunately, Cuba was not included).

It's actually very interesting that literacy is one of the few things that we do as well as other industrialized countries - our education system is one of the few things that remain highly socialized.

[sojourner]

24. you are very welcome Manny! your work WILL make a difference...

and i just believe that we have to pull together to do this work...the media sure isn't, and the Republicans are bald-faced liars, and the Democrats are apparently spineless cowards who are afraid to be called "extreme" or "radical" so they pander to what they think is the vapid middle - in the years to come, if we are successful, our names won't be recalled but historians will note that people like all of us here at DU and at other progressive blogs were the ones who kept the facts out there, who played the role of modern day midnight riders.

[bullwinkle428]

16. No matter how many facts we throw at the stupid sheeple, they'll

never get over the "U.S.A. is #1, greatest in the world at everything, everyone else in the world needs to bow down and kiss our ass!" mentality...

[sojourner]

19. well...the German people got over their kool-aid drunk spree. so can USA's

sheeple. Might take a while though...I admit. But one by one many ARE waking up to the horror. Don't give up hope...

[EuroObserver]

32. Brits also (mostly) got over it.

Other European friends with long histories, also. :nopity:

[Surya Gayatri]

17. In fact, Cuba has a healthcare system

they can be proud of, for a poor small country suffering under American sanctions for 40+ years.

The US should turn its face to the wall in shame for the way it treats its own children and infants--at least those of the poorer classes.

Pre-natal maternal care? Sufficient paid maternity leave? Decent affordable crêches and child-care centers?

These are the hallmarks of truly civilized nations who understand that every dollar spent in infancy will be recouped a hundred fold through a healthy productive adult. SG

[area51]

20. This shows how anti-child the republinazi party truly is. (n/t)

[Joe Chi Minh]

21. What do you mean, "worse than Cuba?" Cuba has a national

health service that is the envy of the world!

I could be mistaken, but I believe there are third-world countries - which Cuba clearly is not - with a national health service that are superior to that of the US.

[malaise]

22. Correct. Few people have a clue about Health care in Cuba

http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200001/cmselect/cmhealth/30/30ap91.htm

http://members.cruzio.com/~yogi/health.htm

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0773480498/202-0332332-5881477
Read this book.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/sci_tech/2003/denver_2003/2770631.stm

[sojourner]

26. go to Manny's site. Excellent stats...

[malaise]

35. Thanks. n/t

[sojourner]

25. i think that's the point. check out the link!

sorry...i just get from your tone that you object to manny saying "worse than Cuba"...which of course he did because so many RW nuts think Castro's Cuba has GOT to be down there with 3rd world nations. and actually i wasn't aware of the high quality health care that Cubans have access to.

peace.

[Joe Chi Minh]

38. Thank you for your candid explanation, sojourner. And I'm sorry

for getting ratty about it.

[sojourner]

39. no problem.

peace :)

[Vidar]

27. Castro cares about his people.

[SPKrazy]

28. Not sure you interpreted the data about premies correctly

You said: "the hypothesis is that our medical system makes heroic attempts to save premature babies that would die prior to birth in other countries.

This appears to not be the case. According to the Centers for Disease Control statistics, only 16.5% of infant deaths are due to prematurity and its complications"

---------------------------------------------------------------------
The CDC says: "Disorders related to short gestation and low birth weight, not elsewhere classified" 16.5%
---------------------------------------------------------------------
This does not say all low birth weight babies, it says those "not elsewhere classified". You would have to know how many other deaths from other causes were related to low birth weight in order to make the definitive statement that the heroic attempts to save premature babies don't account for the ranking.

Personally I think you are onto something, but I believe you are incorrect in your interpretation of the data.

Thanks

[MannyGoldstein]

36. Ooops, You Are Correct

Yes, you're correct, thanks.

[SPKrazy]

37. I just was looking at the statistics

but I still think the 43rd in the world regardless of cause is shameful

[EuroObserver]

31. Cuba is no doubt the poorest per capita country

in that cohort.

No surprise. Cuba, the little it has, is mostly equally shared amongst all. For that reason she is a shining light.

Better compare USA with EU, no, wait, Japan, perhaps.

Look closely.

Thanks Manny. Let Israel improve also?

[tabasco]

33. Best medical care in the world !! LMAO!!

That is a lie perpetrated by the corporate media and big drug companies.

We have the WORST medical care of industrialized nations.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

34. Well, it is...if you're a Saudi Zillionaire.