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Tuesday, October 21, 2014
The Alabama Department of Public Health wants to draw special attention to the importance of safe sleeping for infants during October, SIDS/SUID Awareness Month. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Sudden Unexplained Infant Death (SUID) are the sudden, unexpected deaths of babies younger than 1 year of age whose deaths are not immediately obvious prior to investigation.
SIDS/SUID is the leading cause of death among infants between 1 month and 1 year of age. Each year in the United States, about 4,000 infants die suddenly and unexpectedly. Most of these deaths result from SIDS/SUID and other sleep-related causes of infant death, such as co-sleeping, unsafe sleeping, accidental suffocation and strangulation.
Since 1994, the SIDS rate has dropped by more than 50 percent across all populations. However, the rate has plateaued in recent years. In 2013, 101 infants died from sleep-related causes in Alabama with an additional 6 deaths possibly being sleep related due to suffocation or strangulation.
The State Perinatal Program is working to educate parents, grandparents, caregivers, daycares, health care providers and others about ways to reduce the risk of SIDS/SUID and other sleep-related causes of infant death.
Key ways to reduce the risk of SIDS/SUID and other sleep-related causes of infant death include:
Always place your baby on his or her back to sleep, for naps and at night. Your baby may sleep in the same room where you sleep – not in the same space. Use a firm sleep surface with a fitted sheet, free from soft objects such as pillows, toys, blankets and bumper pads. Do not allow your baby to sleep in car seats, swings or be propped on any device.
“With consistent safe sleeping practices, we hope we never lose another baby to preventable sleep-related death,” State Perinatal Program Director Amy R. Stratton said. “Remember, a baby is safest alone on his or her back in a crib for sleeping.”
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Keywords: SIDS, SUID, infant mortality
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