U.S. infant mortality rate edges down to new low

U.S. infant mortality declined slightly in 2004 to the lowest level on record, but the rate for babies born to black mothers was more than double that of whites, federal health officials said on Wednesday. The infant mortality rate, tracking deaths up to age 1, was 6.78 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2004 compared to 6.84 in 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report.

The report, "Infant Mortality Statistics from the 2004 Period Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set" includes a new analysis tracking preterm birth- related infant deaths. The analysis, first published in the October 2006 edition of Pediatrics, found preterm birth contributes to nearly twice as many infant deaths within the first year of life than previously estimated.