Baby death study wanted

Press, 29 June 1988, Page 3

Baby death study wanted

PA Wellington Research into New Zealand’s high death rate of new-born babies should include all possible preventable causes rather than concentrating on cot death, National Health Statistics Centre staff say. A research officer, Mr Barry Borman, the centre’s deputy director, Mr James Fraser, and the assistant director, Ms Gail

de Boer, made this appeal after a national study of sudden infant death syndrome in New Zealand. The team said that although cot death was a major component of New Zealand’s post-neonatal death rate, little was known about its national epidemiological patterns. Their study had shown that, based on all babies born during 1981 to 1983,

the rate of sudden infant death syndrome was 4.2 for every 1000 live births. There was a significant seasonal pattern and a distinct north-south gradient. The rate of cot deaths in the south of the South Island was almost twice that in the north of the North Island. But the researchers

said these patterns were similar to other preventable causes of post-neona-tal death such as infectious conditions. This indicated that future research into postneonatal mortality should consider all the possible preventable causes of mortality during this period of an infant’s life, not just cot death.