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Since
the national Back To Sleep campaign was launched in 1994,
SIDS rates in the U.S. have decreased by more than 50 percent, the
equivalent of sparing the lives of more than 3,500 babies
each year.
Despite
this progress, SIDS remains the number one cause of death
for infants from one month to one year of age – still
claiming the lives of approximately 2,000 precious babies
each year (7 babies each day.) Recent studies have shown
the risk of SIDS to be double for African-American infants
and two and one-half times greater for Native Americans. A
disproportionate one-fifth of all SIDS deaths occur in child
care settings. In addition, more than 26,000 precious
babies die as a result of stillbirth in the United States
each year (70 babies per day), and more than 90,000 lives
are lost to miscarriage. As you can see, there is much work
to be done.
Medical
developments have become big news, with international wire
services and worldwide web sources providing a steady stream
of story ideas and abstracts. Unfortunately, in the world of
wires and webs, there is no mechanism in place for ensuring
truth and accuracy - or quality control. Scientific findings
taken out of context, misinterpreted data, announcements of
false medical breakthroughs, or unsubstantiated
recommendations regarding changes in parental practice
become sources of intense parental anxiety for bereaved
parents, new parents, and expectant parents alike.
With
valuable contributions from a core group of prominent
medical advisors, First Candle provides
up-to-date and quality-assured background information,
brochures, research alerts, and position statements on
advances in medical research and ways that parents and
caregivers can provide their baby with the best possible
chance to survive and thrive.
We hope you will find the information
provided on this website helpful in your efforts to
communicate effectively with the public. For more
information, please contact the First Candle
Director or Public Affairs, Laura Reno, at 1-800-221-7437 or
via email at laura.reno@firstcandle.org.
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