U.S. Newborn Death Rate Higher than in 40 Other Countries

Associated Press | USA Today | August 30, 2011

...The study shows that newborn babies in countries including Malaysia, Cuba, and Poland now have a better chance of survival than those born in the United States. "It's not that things are worse in the United States than before, it's that the U.S. isn't making progress like other countries," Lawn said.

Because of improvements in infant care in some countries, newborns in Qatar, Croatia and the United Arab Emirates now die at about the same rate as those in the United States, the figures show. The United States now trails 40 other countries when it comes to risk of newborn death with a newborn death rate of 4.3 per 1,000 live births. In 1990 the United States had the 28th lowest risk...