Sids Statistics

SIDs statistics are those that have been gathered in relation to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.  This is marked by the sudden, unexpected death of an infant that remains unexplained after a forensic autopsy and death scene investigation is performed.  Some countries refer to this as cot death or crib death.  Regardless of what you call it, here are some of the statistics that you need to be aware of:

1. While there are slight fluctuations in the overall numbers of infants who die each year, the number of SIDs deaths tends to remain the same.  At the same time, the rates of infant mortality from other causes have declined over the past decade within the United States. 
2. There are approximately 7,000 SIDs deaths in the United States yearly.  Many cases go unreported and thus this is underreported meaning that some of the cases that should have been reported actually were not reported.  As such, SIDs remains the leading cause of death in infants between the age of one month and one year.
3. African American babies are two and a half times more susceptible to SIDs than white babies.  Native American babies are about three times more susceptible.  SIDs incidences are lowest amongst Hispanic and Asian infants.  However, SIDs does occur in families of all races.
4. There is no data to indicate that SIDs will occur more frequently whenever a baby is placed on his back, side or stomach to sleep.  Nevertheless, there are less instances of SIDs in babies who do sleep on their backs, which is why it is recommended by pediatricians.  This is probably because babies are able to re-breathe the air that they exhale whereas when they are on their stomachs the carbon dioxide gets trapped in their bedding.
5. The American Academy of Pediatrics began a nationwide campaign in 1992.  This campaign recommends that parents put babies to sleep on their backs, not on their stomachs.  Since this campaign began running the number of infants who have died from SIDs has actually dropped 38%.