According to the report, 220 of the 590 Mississippi children who died in 2015 could have been prevented if the state had changed its policies or practices. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Mississippi had the second-highest child death rate in 2015, with 40 deaths per 100,000 children. This rate was second only to South Dakota’s 41 deaths per 100,000 children. Nationally, there were 25 deaths. The data on state-preventable deaths was not available. Monday’s report contains a detailed analysis on child deaths in 2015. This is the most recent year data were available. The Child Review Panel considered preventable deaths as such things as undetermined causes, sudden infant deaths, injuries, homicide or suicide. Accidents accounted for 139 of the preventable deaths in children aged between birth and 17 years. Motor vehicle deaths were responsible for 83 cases. This is a 54 percent rise over 2014 when 54 children died from car accidents. The report also notes that this trend was especially “worrisome” because it affected children under 15 years old. This suggests that adults are driving children and not younger drivers. National statistics show that car fatalities rose by 7.2 per cent for all ages. “This alarming trend requires the urgent implementation of new state-level preventive initiatives against transportation-related child deaths in Mississippi,” the report says. Homicides can be considered preventable deaths. In 2015, 19 children were killed. This is a slight decrease from 2014, when 21 children were killed. 10 of these homicides were caused by gunshots. This is just over half. Another 12 gunshot-related deaths occurred in 2015, either accidentally or as a result of suicide. There were 22 total gunshot-related deaths. Another 12 gunshot deaths were either accidental or due to suicide, making it a total of 22 gunshot-related deaths in 2015. Many of these deaths were extremely violent. Some of these deaths were shocking. The report states that none of these deaths should have occurred. There are many risk factors that can lead to gun violence. These include gun ownership, early exposure to violent pop music, drug abuse, dysfunctional family relationships, economic disparities, and improper firearm storage. The number of suicides rose 100 percent between 2014 and 2015. It went from eight to sixteen deaths. Between 2014 and 2015, the total number of child deaths increased by 13 percent. Mississippi is known for having the highest infant mortality rate in the country. In 2015, 60 percent of all child fatalities occurred in children under one year old. According to the panel, suffocation was the leading cause. The traditional position of infants is to be on their stomachs. However, the national medical community has been pushing to change that. They have taught parents how to place their children on their backs in a crib with a single sheet. Unsafe sleep practices were not the only reason for infant deaths. Between 2014 and 2015, eight percent more infant deaths were due to medical conditions that occurred in the first month. These include birth trauma, maternal health issues that could affect the newborn, and medical disorders related to the length of gestation or fetal growth. The total number of child deaths, not just preventable ones, was much higher for African American children than that of white children at 101 per 100,000 people as opposed to 68 per 100,000. The difference is not explained by the study. According to the report, the goal of the review is to identify risk factors
associated with child deaths preventable, increase child death investigation, identify
We will identify gaps in prevention, make policy suggestions and share information with the ultimate goal to prevent future Mississippi child deaths. Not all child deaths are due to identifiable causes. Between 2014 and 2015, the number reviewed child deaths in undetermined ways increased by 175 per cent, from 16 to 44 cases. The unknown causes of child death rose from 13 to 34 cases during the same time period, or 162 per cent. The reasons behind this increase in child deaths remain unclear, according to the report. The report states that it is not clear what caused this dramatic increase in deaths. The state Medical Examiner’s Office and the crime lab, which are the main offices responsible for Mississippi’s death investigations, have a large backlog due to funding shortages. The wait for autopsy reports from the Medical Examiner’s Office, which reviews all child deaths that could be prevented, can take well over a year.