udden unexpected infant deaths have become the largest single cause-of-death contributor to the gap in infant mortality between babies born to Black and white mothers, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. These deaths now account for more than a third of the disparity, as rates rose among infants born to Black mothers after 2020 and stayed relatively stable among infants born to white mothers.
The study does not identify why the increase happened. It shows where the gap is growing, not what is causing it.
