Mississippi has declared a public health emergency as its infant mortality rate climbs to the highest level in 14 years, highlighting urgent concerns about healthcare access and deepening racial disparities. The state counted 9.7 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2024, nearly double the national average, per CBS News. State officials say that over 3,500 infants have died before their first birthday since 2014. The emergency declaration is rare, but health leaders argue it's necessary to treat infant deaths as an urgent crisis.
The declaration is meant to speed up efforts to close gaps in care, including expanding prenatal services in underserved counties, improving emergency transfers, and boosting programs that offer home visits and community health support. "Every single infant loss represents a family devastated, a community impacted, and a future cut short," said State Health Officer Dr. Dan Edney, per CBS. "We cannot and will not accept these numbers as our reality," he added, per ABC News, which reports the leading causes of infant death include congenital malformations, premature birth, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome.
Racial disparities loom large. Black infants in Mississippi are more than twice as likely to die before turning one compared to white infants, and the gap is growing. National data show similar trends even in cities with better healthcare, highlighting the role of broader social factors—poverty, housing, and healthcare access—beyond clinical care.
story continues below
Mississippi relies heavily on Medicaid, which covers nearly 60% of births. Unlike most states, Mississippi hasn't expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, leaving many low-income women uninsured before and between pregnancies. Other states that expanded Medicaid have seen significant drops in infant deaths, especially among Black infants. "Arkansas, for example, reported a 29% reduction in Black infant mortality in the five years following expansion," per CBS.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
