U.S. earns a D+ grade for high pre-term birth rates

Oak Hill, WV (WOAY) – The United States barely earned a passing grade on pre-term births. 

According to a March of Dimes report released on Thursday, the country got a D plus. 

The infant and maternal health nonprofit says the rate of babies born before 37 weeks gestation remains among the highest in over a decade. 

Premature birth is the leading cause of infant deaths. 

The report gives Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Puerto Rico a failing grade. 

No states earned an A. 

Almost 20 thousand babies nationwide died before turning one last year, with the highest infant death rates in the south and midwest.  

 

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