Child deaths are up in North Carolina.
The state’s Child Fatality Task Force found that 1,500 children died in North Carolina in 2022, the highest level in more than a decade.
The task force report shows that more than half of those children were babies and the leading cause of death was prematurity and low birth weight – and Black infants died at rates more than 2.5 times the rate of White infants.
The largest increase in deaths occurred among children ages 1 to 4 – a 59% increase in mortality rates from the previous year and a 43% increase since 2013.
The data also shows that among teens ages 15-17, guns were used in 95% of murders and more than half of suicides.
Child deaths increased 8% between 2021 and 2022.
The complete report from the Child Fatality Task Force is available here. https://webservices.ncleg.gov/ViewDocSiteFile/87360?utm_source=Press+List&utm_campaign=57804b50d9-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_04_09_04_33_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-930880e87f-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&mc_cid=57804b50d9&mc_eid=014ab28715
