COLUMBIA (WACH, AP) -- South Carolina's rate of infant deaths has dropped for the fourth year in a row.
The state Department of Health and Environmental Control reported Wednesday that the overall decline is attributed to a decrease in accidental suffocations in bed and a drop in the cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
"Your infant mortality rate is an overall marker for the health of the community and the state," said DHEC Deputy Commissioner Dr. Lisa Waddell.
The agency says the 2009 infant mortality rate was 7.1 deaths for each 1,000 live births. That's down from the rate of 8.0 deaths for each 1,000 live births in 2008.
"What that means for our state is 74 fewer infants died in our state between 2008 and 2009," adds Waddell.
The leading causes of death among infants less than a year old are congenital malformations and disorders among infants born prematurely or too small.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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