Clallam County has the highest rate of infant mortality in the state and, according to health officials, the majority of those deaths are sleep-related and preventable.

The state average for infant mortality is 4.7 deaths per 1000 live births, but here Clallam County it’s nearly double that at 8.1 deaths per 1000. So the Clallam County Department of Health and the Coroner’s Office worked together to find out why.

It turns out that a shocking 64% of infant deaths over the last 10 years here were sleep-related deaths. The medical term for these deaths is Sudden Unexplained Infant Deaths or SUID.

But according to Public Health Officer Allison Berry Unthank, that term is a bit of a misnomer.

Rates of SUID have dramatically decreased nationwide since the 1990’s when the American Academy of Pediatrics launched their safe sleep campaign but, in recent years, those gains have started to level off, and in Clallam County, infant mortality has actually increased.

Unthank says there a few key ways to reduce the risk.

If you have questions about safe sleep, talk to your doctor or contact the Clallam County Department of Health for more information by clicking here.

#SUID #infant mortality