TABLE 4
TRENDS OF INFANT MORTALITY
British Columbia and Canada, 1965 - 2001
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FIGURE 6
TRENDS OF INFANT MORTALITY
British Columbia and Canada, 1965 - 2001
HIGHLIGHTS TO TABLE 4/FIGURE 6
- In 2001, there were 159 infant deaths (age at death less than one year) in the province, for an infant mortality rate of 3.9 per 1,000 live births. This is a slight increase from 149 infant deaths and an infant mortality rate of 3.7 per 1,000 live births in 2000. In the last eight years, there has been a fairly steady decrease in both the number of infant deaths and the infant mortality rate.
- Since 1991, the B.C. infant mortality rate has been consistently below the Canadian rate.
- Out of the 159 infant deaths in 2001:
- 99 were in the early neonatal period (age at death less than 7 days)
- 24 died between 7 and 27 days after birth
- 36 were in the post-neonatal period (age at death 28-364 days).
- Infant mortality rates in B.C. have fallen dramatically to almost one fifth of the rates seen in 1965. Decreases in early neonatal mortality (age at death less than seven days) and neonatal mortality (age at death less than 28 days) have been major contributors to the overall decline in infant mortality rates over this time period. In Canada infant mortality rates have fallen to approximately one fifth of the rates seen in 1965.
- Perinatal mortality refers to fetal deaths (stillbirths) and early neonatal deaths (age at death less than 7 days). Since the causes of stillbirths and early neonatal deaths are often similar, the perinatal mortality rate is used as a health status measure.
- Post neonatal deaths decreased from 94 in 1995 to 36 in 2001 and the post neonatal mortality rate declined from 2.0 to 0.9 deaths per 1,000 live births. The 2001 post neonatal statistic was the lowest ever recorded in British Columbia.
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