A report released Monday by Mecklenburg County highlights alarming disparities tied to infant mortality rates among babies of different races.
Mecklenburg County’s infant mortality report spans 2014 to 2023. It shows Black infants are more than 3.5 times as likely to die before age 1 as non-Hispanic white babies.
“Disparities can be influenced by so many things, from maternal health conditions, things like high blood pressure, socioeconomic conditions, things like access to prenatal care,” said Dr. Kimberley Scott, the county’s interim public health director.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women nationwide are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications, even though more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable.
Mecklenburg County’s report also says about 80 infants die each year, with leading causes tied to birth defects, such as brain malformations, and perinatal problems.
“So babies who are born before that 37-week mark, low birth weight, so babies that are born under roughly 5 pounds, 8 ounces and then just other complications during delivery,” Scott said.
The report also found that Black babies experience the highest rates of preterm birth, low birth weight and very low birth weight.
