Fall in cot deaths stalls

Charity concerned pandemic will mean less support to help parents reduce risks

RATES of cot deaths have stopped falling in England and Wales, and the pandemic may mean more babies are at risk. There were 198 unexplained deaths of babies aged under one in 2018, the most recent figures published by the Office for National Statistics reveal.

That was up from 189 the year before.

Numbers can vary from year to year in part due to variations in the number of births.

The rate of deaths was 0.30 per 1,000 births in 2018, up from 0.28 per 1,000 the year before, and has been broadly stable since 2014.

Before then the rate had been dropping since records began in 2004.

Of the deaths in 2018, 112 were due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDs), also known as cot death, while in 86 deaths the cause was unascertained.

The Lullaby Trust, a charity that aims to reduce sudden infant deaths and supports bereaved families, is calling for urgent action to ensure families have the help they need to protect their babies.

Jenny Ward, CEO of The Lullaby Trust said: “We are extremely concerned by the increase in SIDS rates in England and Wales. Whilst the ONS describes this as a levelling off, this overall stalling of rates since 2014 is not good enough.

“SIDS rates are highest in the most deprived areas. We are concerned that the increased pressure placed on public health services by COVID-19, meaning less support for new parents, combined with rising poverty could lead to a further increase in the number of deaths.

“We strongly urge local authorities to make funding for health visitors and early years staff who provide crucial safer sleep advice to families a public health priority. Only by making all families aware of how they can reduce the risk of SIDS and support them to help protect their babies can we ensure we do not see more lives lost”

In 2018 and every year since 2011, the unexplained infant mortality rate was highest for parents in routine and manual occupations. In 2018, this rate was 0.48 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Other known risk factors for unexplained deaths in infancy include smoking during pregnancy, postnatal exposure to tobacco smoke, sleeping position, not breastfeeding, overheating and sleep environments, including unplanned bed-sharing, the baby’s head being covered and sleeping with a baby on a sofa.

The ONS said the decrease in unexplained infant death rates since 2004 was likely driven by better advice on these factors and a decrease in mothers smoking.

The risk was also higher for younger mothers - in 2018, the unexplained infant mortality rate was highest for mothers aged under 20 years, at 1.11 deaths per 1,000 live births.

The Lullaby Trust has relaunched Little Lullaby, its service for young parents under the age of 25 this month with funding from the National Lottery, offering peer support to young parents to help them feel better informed, more confident and less isolated.