Mississippi’s health department has said it declared a public health emergency last week because of rising infant mortality rates in the state.
Data released by the state show that the mortality rate increased to 9.7 per 1,000 live births in 2024, the “highest in more than a decade,” according to a statement from the Mississippi Department of Health on Aug. 21. It said that 3,527 infants have died before the age of 1 since 2014.
