Infant deaths - fact sheet
infant; death; rate; mortality; South; Australia;
Contents
The survival of infants in their first year of life is commonly viewed as an indicator of general health and wellbeing of a population. Infant mortality refers to deaths of children under one year of age, and is measured by the infant mortality rate (IMR). IMR is the rate of infant deaths per 1000 live births in a calendar year. In 2004 there were 1,200 infant deaths registered in Australia (1).
Over the past 100 years, infant mortality in Australia has decreased dramatically. In 1904, almost 82 infants out of 1000 died before their first birthday, compared to 5 out of 1000 in 2004 (1).
IMR has a strong link to fertility (births) and life expectancy at birth. Increased survival of infants and young children is generally accompanied by a drop in fertility (1).
Note: the criteria used to develop rates can be different for different comparisons. Always check criteria before interpreting the figures.
South Australia in 2007
There were:
- 19,757 births of infants of at least 400g birth weight or 20 weeks gestation (2 p5).
- Of these 132 were stillbirths - the rate was 6.7 per 1,000 births (2 p5). Note: The still birth rate has not decreased over the past two decades (2 p6).
- There were 55 neonatal deaths (deaths of live-born infants in the first 28 days of their life) - rate of 2.8 per 1,000 births (2 p5).
- There were 28 post-neonatal deaths (deaths between 28 and 364 days of life) - a rate of 1.4 per 1,000 live births) (2 p11).
- 48 of the perinatal deaths (still births and neonatal deaths) were terminations of pregnancy (2 p5).
There were a total of 83 infant deaths (neonatal plus post-neonatal deaths) in 2007 (4.2 per 1,000 live births). In comparison there were 150 infant deaths in 1986 (7.6 per 1,000 live births) (2 p 13).
Trends in Infant Mortality Rates – South Australia and Australia
Trends in infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) in South Australia compared to Australia. (Deaths of live born infants during the first 12 months of life over the numbers of live births) (2 p15).
| Year |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
| SA |
4.7 |
4.0 |
4.3 |
4.6 |
4.6 |
| Australia |
5.3 |
5.0 |
5.7 |
5.2 |
5.3 |
| Year |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
| SA |
5.1 |
3.7 |
3.2 |
5.1 |
3.2 |
| Australia |
5.0 |
4.8 |
4.7 |
5.0 |
4.7 |
Sex
In general, infant mortality rates are higher in males than females. In Australia the male infant mortality rate declined from 62 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 1924 to 5 in 2004. In females the rate decreased from 52 infant deaths per 1,000 live births to 4 (1).
Post-neonatal mortality
Post-neonatal are deaths occurring in the remainder of the first year of life (28-364 days).
South Australia in 2007, there were 28 post-neonatal deaths (1.4 per 1000 live births) (2 p 11).
No deaths were attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), but there were 11 Sudden Unexpected Deaths in Infancy (SUDI). SUDI includes SIDS, accidental asphyxiation and undetermined cause (2 p11). The criteria for attributing deaths to SIDS have been tightened and some deaths attributed to SIDS in previous years would now be classified as SUDI in the 'undetermined' group.
Post neonatal deaths have decreased from 65 in 1986 (3.3 deaths per 1,000 live births) to 28 in 2007 (1.4 deaths per 1,000 live births).
Even allowing for changes in attribution of deaths to SIDS or SUDI there has been a marked decrease in incidence of SIDS occurring after public campaigns focusing mainly on settling babies to sleep on the back(2 p11).
National comparisons
The Northern Territory continues to have the highest infant mortality rate, reflecting the highest proportion of indigenous children(1). In 2004, the infant mortality rates (per 1,000 live births), by State were:
| State |
Infant death rate |
| Australian Capital Territory |
6.9 |
| New South Wales |
4.6 |
| Northern Territory |
10.7 |
| Queensland |
5.2 |
| South Australia |
3.2 |
| Tasmania |
3.6 |
| Victoria |
4.5 |
| Western Australia |
3.9 |
| All Australia |
4.7 |
International comparisons
The World Health Organisation has released data in which there are estimates that:
- about 210 million women get pregnant in the world each year
- about 30 million of these women develop complications
- over half a million women die from pregnancy related complications.
99% of these maternal deaths occur in developing countries (3).
In Australia, in 2003-2005, there were 65 maternal deaths, indirect or direct.(4).
About 3.7 million babies die in the four weeks of their life, three quarters of these within the first week (5 p2). In the UNICEF Publication 'The state of the world's children 2009', infant mortality rates in 2004 (births of 1000g or greater used for comparisons) were reported (examples):
- West/Central Africa - 46 per 1000
- South Asia - 41 per 1000
- East Asia/Pacific - 18 per 1000
- World - 28 per 1000
- In industrialised countries - 3 per 1000. (5 p10)
References
- Australian Bureau of Statistics 1301.0 Year Book Australia, 2007 'Infant mortality over the last 100 years'.
- Perinatal Outcome Statistics Unit., Department of Health South Australia Maternal, Perinatal and Infant Mortality in South Australia 2007'
http://www.dh.sa.gov.au/pehs/PDF-files/090210-Committee-Mortality-Report-Nov2008.pdf
- World Health Organisation, 'Making Pregnancy Safer Initiative'
http://www.who.int/making_pregnancy_safer/en/
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 'Maternal Deaths in Australia 2003-2005'
http://www.npsu.unsw.edu.au/NPSUweb.nsf/page/md3
- UNICEF The state of the world's children 2009 'Maternal and newborn health'
http://www.unicef.org/sowc09/docs/SOWC09-FullReport-EN.pdf
Other sources of data
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 'Australia's Health 2008
http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10585
SIDS and Kids 'Fast Facts'
http://www.sidsandkids.org/documents/11504...
The information on this site should not be used as an alternative to professional care. If you have a particular problem, see a doctor, or ring the Parent Helpline on 1300 364 100 (local call cost from anywhere in South Australia).
This topic may use 'he' and 'she' in turn - please change to suit your
child's sex.