Infant death figures among lowest

HALTON’S rate of unexplained infant deaths was among the lowest in the country during the last decade according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data.

ONS figures showed that between 2009 and 2018, there were 0.19 babies per 1,000 who died in the borough, compared to 0.33 for England on average, and the North West average of 0.42. No Halton data was available for the most recent period surveyed by the ONS, of 2010-19.

The figures relate to babies under the age of one year old.

Halton’s rate for 2009-18 was also lower than Cheshire East (0.34), Cheshire West (0.22), Knowsley (0.57), Liverpool (0.45), Sefton (0.54). St Helens (0.49) and Wirral, (0.25). No data was provided for Warrington.

The ONS reported that across England and Wales, there were 170 unexplained infant deaths in 2019, accounting for 7.1% of all babies under the age of one who died that year. It said the rate had been falling since records began in 2004 but has levelled out since 2014 and was 0.27 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2019.

Sudden infant deaths such as “cot deaths” accounted for 59.4% of unexplained deaths in 2019. Boys and babies with low birthweights were more at risk.

The ONS added that mothers under the age of 20 were more than five times more likely to experience unexplained infant deaths than mothers aged over 40.

It said the unexplained infant mortality rate for babies of mothers born in the UK was more than double the rate for babies of mothers born outside of the UK.

Although most recorded causes of unexpected deaths had been falling over the period, the ONS figures found small rises in the numbers of babies dying due to congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities, as well as musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases.