US infant mortality rise not linked to vaccines
Facts And Fact Checking,Coronavirus Vaccine,Public Health
A report showing a 3% rise in U.S. infant mortality in 2022 compared with 2021 did not even examine vaccination of mothers or infants as a factor, contrary to posts online suggesting that vaccination played a role in the increase, which came after a 20-year decline.
The provisional 2022 data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows statistically meaningful increases for two out of 10 causes of death the report looked at changes seen among certain groups and states. Experts responding to the report suggested that surges in respiratory infections in 2022 and disparities in healthcare access could partly explain the trends seen in the report.
An Instagram post (archived) blaming vaccines includes a screenshot of a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that reads, “A horror. Ask CDC about vaccinating pregnant ‘people’, preemies and newborns today vs 20 years ago” in response to a CBS News X post about the CDC report.
The Vital Statistics Rapid Release report, published by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHA) on Nov. 1, documents the first rise in the infant mortality rate in 20 years following a 22% decline over that period, according to an NCHS blog post.
