The U.S. infant mortality rate has dropped 12 percent since 2005, according to a new Centers for Disease Control report.
In 2011, the the rate was 6.05 deaths of infants less than a year old for every 1,000 births, a drop from 6.87 per 1,000 in 2000. Premature birth rates are dropping as well, and hospitals and healthcare professionals have worked to prevent mothers from having deliveries before 39 weeks, barring medical reasons.
Southern states have historically had the highest infant mortality rate nationwide, and have seen the most improvement in recent years. For Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina and South Carolina, the rate decreased 20 percent. Alabama and Mississippi still hold the highest infant mortality rates.
But the biggest drop was in the District of Columbia, from 14.05 deaths ber 1,000 births in 2005 to 7.86 per 1,000 by 2010.
Across the country, the rate that dropped the most was among black women, who typically have an infant mortality rate that is twice that of white women.
Infant mortality dropped in four of the five leading causes of death from 2005 to 2011, the New York Times reported.
