The Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality (SACIM) released a report listing six strategic directions and its recommendations for reducing infant mortality in the United States. In 2011, the infant mortality rate in the U.S. was 6.05 deaths per 1,000 live births. Northeast Florida’s infant mortality rate for 2012 was higher than the national rate, at… Read More

A baby boy in Fresno, California died of heat exposure June 8 after he was left unintentionally in a vehicle, raising the national death toll of children left or trapped in hot vehicles to 10 this year and calling attention to these preventable tragedies. This issue has particular relevance in the Sunshine State: Three of the… Read More

Discrimination against a woman for breastfeeding is officially considered sex discrimination. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled May 31 that, “firing a woman because she is lactating or expressing milk is unlawful sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.” Breastfeeding is the most natural way for… Read More

Congenital syphilis occurs in the womb when mothers infected with syphilis pass the disease onto their unborn child. If left untreated, congenital syphilis can cause birth defects, stillbirth and neonatal mortality. Congenital syphilis is preventable and can be treated with antibiotics if detected early. The Florida Department of Health recently announced an increase in the… Read More