The Safe to Sleep campaign, initiated to prevent sudden infant deaths, has been effectively ended due to workforce cuts by the Trump administration at the NIH. This closure comes amid rising infant mortality rates, particularly due to sudden infant death syndrome, a situation worsened by the pandemic. Experts, including pediatric doctors, express serious concerns that discontinuing this public health initiative will result in higher infant death rates, as the program played a crucial role in disseminating safety guidelines and prevention strategies.
To have this program be terminated when the number of deaths is going up is really quite devastating, said Rachel Moon, a doctor who chairs the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on infant sleep death.
The gutting of the office occurs at a time when doctors view Safe to Sleep as particularly urgent: The number of babies dying of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or other unexpected causes in sleep is on a significant rise.
Collection
[
|
...
]