“Unforgivable” rise in deaths in children must prompt action, health leader warns – GWC Mag

The number of child deaths in England has increased by 8% in the past year, from 29.3 to 31.8 deaths per 100 000 children (3743)—the highest since data collection started in 2019.1

Deaths in children aged between 1 and 17 years increased by 16% in the year to 31 March 2023 compared with the previous year, while deaths in children under 1 year old increased by 4%, showed data from the National Child Mortality Database. December 2022 saw 391 deaths altogether—the highest number in any single month since 2019.

Of the deaths reviewed (3271), the most common likely causes were a perinatal or neonatal event …