Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

What is Sudden infant death syndrome?
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is marked by the sudden death of an infant that is unexpected by medical history, and remains unexplained after a thorough forensic autopsy and a detailed death scene investigation. An infant is at the highest risk for SIDS during sleep, which is why it is sometimes referred to by the terms cot death or crib death.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudden_infant_death_syndrome

The cause of SIDS is unknown, but characteristics associated with the syndrome have been identified. One of these characteristics is sleeping in the prone position.

Growing up as child I never had to experience a death of a child as far back as I can remember. As a matter of fact I don’t remember anyone passing. I first heard about SIDS as a teenager while in my health class during the pregnancy and childbirth segment. My understanding was that the baby was sleep on its stomach and could not lift its head and suffocated. Babies should be placed on their backs to prevent such deaths. As I grew older I started to hear this more often and it made me more aware when caring for infants in the early stages of life.

Since there was no main cause for death it bought the awareness of people up and the facts still remain unknown. There are fact state that death occurred in babies between one month and one year. In 2006 there were as many as 1,161 deaths reported by CDC. The majority of these deaths occurring between two and four months of age. Ninety percent occurred before age six months. More boys than girls and Native American and African American babies range among the top percentage.

The low birth weight babies and mother who lack prenatal care, smoked or did drugs were at higher risk than other babies whose parents seek early care and did not smoke or use drugs. SIDS is not caused by lack of immunization or neglect/abuse. There is no cause, and that is what scares new parents most. If there were signs of warning doctors could probable predict and prevent this from occurring.  
The risk associated with SIDS, are associated with baby sleeping on their stomach or side. Studies from doctors believe that certain brain irregularities which interfere with certain neurotransmitters in the brain while baby is sleeping. Researchers have also looked at generic traits and the health of the parents as other fact that could contribute to SIDS.

Learn more about SIDS:  

http://www.parenting.com/category/conditions/about-sids

Infant Mortality in International Perspective 

I infant mortality rates for the world, for developed and developing countries, and by continent, with some selected countries that highlight the range of levels. At 57, the world's infant mortality rate has never been lower; however, differences across the world are substantial. Africa's rate (88) is ten times higher than the average rate (8) for the developed countries. Within Africa the highest levels of infant mortality in the world are experienced, with rates as high as 157 in Sierra Leone. On average the rate for Asia (56) is somewhat lower than for Africa, but some Asian countries such as Afghanistan have rates (150) as high as anywhere in the world. On the other hand, Hong Kong's rate (3.2) is very low, illustrating that the most variation in infant mortality level occurs in Asia. Both Europe and North America (the United States and Canada) have low levels of infant mortality, with average rates well under 10. However, European variation is not inconsequential; rates in at least some parts of Eastern Europe are nearly 10 times higher than in northern European countries such as Iceland and Sweden.
Overall, income and education, both at the societal and individual levels, are closely associated with infant mortality. While the relationship between infant mortality and level of socioeconomic development is not perfect, the infant mortality rate is commonly used more than any other measure as a general indicator of socioeconomic wellbeing and of general medical and public health

Read more: Mortality, Infant - world, body, life, cause, rate, time, human, Infant Mortality in International Perspective, Causes of Infant Deaths
 http://www.deathreference.com/Me-Nu/Mortality-Infant.html#ixzz1dWQDRTFr