CDC: MS leads US in fetal deaths

Mississippi leads the nation again for having the highest rate of fetal deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data report examined nearly 21,000 deaths of fetuses in utero that occurred after 20 weeks’ gestation in the U.S. in 2020. The overall national rate was 5.7 deaths per 1,000 live births, about the same 00as the year before. In Mississippi, the rate was 10.6 - an increase from 9.4 in 2019. The CDC data did not include state-specific analysis of the causes of stillbirths. The most common cause was listed as “unspecified.” Mississippi maternal health advocates say the state’s inadequate access to basic health care, a high rate of uninsured and state leaders’ decision not to expand Medicaid explain the grim statistics. For Getty Israel, CEO/founder of the Sisters in Birth clinic in Jackson, the statistics say Mississippians aren't healthy, and Black women are more vulnerable to conditions that endanger pregnancies. Most of her patients are Black women without insurance. About 60% of births in Mississippi are covered by Medicaid. But postpartum coverage wouldn’t solve many of Mississippi’s maternal and infant health outcomes, according to Israel. Women of reproductive age who qualify for Medicaid when pregnant may have gone years without seeing a primary healthcare provider, increasing the risk of conditions like obesity and high blood pressure - conditions that may increase their risk of premature birth, which can require expensive and stressful hospital stays for newborns. “You want to get these women healthy before they become pregnant,” Israel said. Taxpayers are "paying for these premature births ... for million-dollar babies" in NICUs across the state that could have been avoided. Most premature births can be avoided.” The CDC report did not breakdown the rate by race for each state but showed that Black mothers had a fetal mortality rate of 10.34 in 2020, compared to 4.73 for white mothers. (Source: Mississippi Today 08/08/22) Mississippi has nation's highest rate of stillbirths | News | meridianstar.com