The United States has witnessed a significant drop in its infant mortality rate, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), offering a hopeful sign that ongoing public health measures may be making a difference in protecting the nation’s youngest citizens. The country’s infant mortality rate fell to approximately 5.5 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2024, marking a slight decline from the previous years, where the rate had hovered at around 5.6 per 1,000. This drop follows a period where the rate had plateaued, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that targeted health interventions could be driving the improvement.
While the national infant mortality rate remains one of the highest among high-income countries, experts are cautiously optimistic about the trend, as it could signal the effectiveness of new measures aimed at reducing infant deaths, such as a recently launched vaccination campaign targeting respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common respiratory infection that poses a significant threat to infants. The initiative, which includes administering a lab-created antibody shot to babies and an RSV vaccine to pregnant women, has shown potential in preventing severe RSV infections that have contributed to infant mortality in the past.
The 2024 CDC data revealed that the total number of infant deaths in the United States decreased to about 19,900, compared to 20,150 in 2023. This decline, while small, provides hope that the nation’s efforts to combat the leading causes of infant death are beginning to take effect. Still, the overall infant mortality rate in the U.S. remains higher than that of other high-income nations, a problem experts attribute to systemic issues such as poverty, inadequate access to healthcare, and disparities in prenatal care. Nonetheless, the continued improvement in infant mortality is seen as a sign of progress, thanks to ongoing public health efforts, medical advances, and preventive measures.
For many years, the U.S. has struggled with its higher-than-expected infant mortality rate when compared to its peers. However, the nation’s healthcare system has made notable strides in reducing the mortality rate over the decades, largely thanks to advances in medical science, improved healthcare practices, and the efforts of various public health campaigns. However, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a temporary reversal in progress, as the virus put additional strain on healthcare systems, leading to a rise in RSV and flu infections that disproportionately affected infants. The rebound in RSV cases during the post-pandemic years contributed to an uptick in infant deaths in 2022 and 2023, signaling a need for more targeted interventions.
One of the most significant steps forward in combating RSV-related deaths came in 2023 when the CDC issued new guidelines to mitigate the virus’s impact on infants. Health officials began recommending two new approaches for preventing the severe effects of RSV: one involved giving infants a lab-made antibody shot to bolster their immune systems, and the other recommended a vaccine for pregnant women between 32 and 36 weeks of gestation. This vaccine is designed to protect infants from the virus by passing immunity from the mother to the baby before birth. Early reports suggest that these interventions have contributed to the decline in the number of infant deaths caused by RSV, as evidenced by a marked reduction in hospitalizations for RSV and respiratory illnesses in the 2024-25 season.
Dr. Amanda Williams, interim chief medical officer at the March of Dimes, explained that the improvement in infant mortality rates could indeed be attributed to these new RSV-focused interventions. In fact, a separate CDC report released on the same day confirmed that RSV-related hospitalizations for infants during the 2024-25 season were more than 40% lower than the average for past years. This suggests that the targeted measures, including the antibody shot for infants and the maternal vaccine, are successfully reducing the burden of RSV on young children, which could account for the overall decline in the infant mortality rate.
However, Williams cautioned that while RSV-related interventions might be contributing to the positive trend, more work needs to be done to fully understand all the factors at play. She noted that much of the decrease in infant mortality in 2024 came from a reduction in deaths among infants who were at least one month old when they passed away. This could be indicative of improvements not only in the prevention of RSV but also in addressing other causes of infant death, such as accidents, homicides, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
For example, SIDS remains one of the leading causes of death among infants aged one month or older, and although significant progress has been made in understanding and preventing it, it still accounts for a large number of infant fatalities each year. The reduction in these types of deaths could also explain part of the overall improvement in the infant mortality rate. Similarly, while other conditions like congenital heart defects or prematurity are major contributors to infant death, the continued advancements in prenatal care and neonatal medicine may be leading to better outcomes for babies born with these conditions.
The decline in infant mortality has sparked further discussions about how to address the underlying issues contributing to the U.S.’s poor standing compared to other high-income nations. Poverty, lack of access to healthcare, and racial and socioeconomic disparities continue to plague the American healthcare system, creating barriers for many mothers and infants who face higher risks of death due to limited resources or inadequate care. In fact, studies have shown that minority populations, especially Black and Indigenous communities, experience higher rates of infant mortality than their white counterparts, underscoring the importance of addressing these disparities to achieve a more equitable healthcare system for all.
The CDC’s findings for 2024 are promising, but they also serve as a reminder that the work to reduce infant mortality in the U.S. is far from finished. Experts emphasize the need for ongoing support for maternal and infant health programs, as well as continued efforts to address the systemic issues contributing to the country’s high infant death rates. The new advancements in RSV prevention are an important step forward, but experts urge policymakers and healthcare professionals to also focus on broader healthcare access, prenatal care, and addressing the social determinants of health that affect infant survival rates.
The U.S. has made significant progress in reducing infant mortality over the years, but challenges remain. The recent drop in the infant mortality rate is a hopeful sign, and the successful vaccination efforts against RSV may serve as a model for other preventative health measures aimed at improving infant survival rates. While this drop is small, it signals the potential for further improvements as new interventions and medical technologies continue to evolve. However, it is essential that efforts to reduce infant mortality address the root causes of these deaths, including poverty, access to healthcare, and inequalities in care, so that every infant has the opportunity to survive and thrive.
