Newborn Deaths

A newborn baby is called a "neonate" for the first 28 days of life. This first month is a relatively high risk period for babies.

Death rates: The overall infant (<1 year) death rate is 0.706% or 1-in-141. This rate is higher in the first 28 days and reduces to 0.188% or 1-in-531 after the neonatal period.

Top Ten Causes of Death:

For neonatal infants aged less than 28 days, the top ten causes of death in USA 1999 were:

• disorders related to prematurity and low birth weight (23.1%),
• congenital defects including chromosome conditions (20.8%),
• maternal pregnancy complications affecting newborn (7.4%),
• respiratory distress syndrome of newborn (5.6%),
• complications of placenta affecting newborn (5.4%),
• bacterial sepsis of newborn (3.5%),
• atelectasis (3.4%),
• in-uterus hypoxia and birth asphyxia (3.1%),
• neonatal hemorrhage (2.6%),
• necrotizing enterocolitis of newborn (1.9%) and
• other causes (23.2%) [CDC NVSR 2001].

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