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Forsyth County health staff cite racial disparity in infant deaths despite overall downward trends
Summary
Public Health presented infant mortality, prematurity and low birth‑weight trends and a child fatality review for 2023; overall infant mortality rate was 6.8 per 1,000 live births and non‑Hispanic Black infants experienced a rate of 14.1 per 1,000, about 2.94 times the rate for white infants.
Joshua Swift, speaking for Forsyth County Public Health, presented infant mortality and child fatality review data to the Board of Commissioners on Sept. 25 and described outreach and prevention work the department is coordinating. The data matter because infant death rates and disparities are indicators of maternal and child health — and they guide prevention activities and funding priorities. Swift said Forsyth County’s preterm birth rate in 2023 was 10.9 percent (babies born before 37 weeks), roughly in line with the state rate (10.8 percent). Low birth‑weight births…
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