Charity calls for action on baby deaths

BABIES aren’t sufficiently protected from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), according to safer baby sleep charity the Lullaby Trust.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics show there were 221 unexplained infant deaths in 2012 - 0.30 deaths in every 1,000 births, a decline of only 0.04 from 2011.

The North-West recorded 19 deaths in 2012, the lowest rate in England with 0.21 deaths per 1,000 births, compared with the highest rate of 0.41 in the East Midlands.

Statistics for sudden infant deaths recorded in Oldham between 2004-2012 saw a slightly higher rate with 19 deaths across the period, a rate of 0.51 per 1,000 births.

The rate was the third lowest across Greater Manchester with only Trafford (0.28) and Stockport (0.3) recording lower figures over the same period.

The Lullaby Trust’s chief executive, Francine Bates, said: “It is incredibly disappointing to see the SIDS rate has not significantly decreased. Any drop is a step in the right direction, but we are not reducing SIDS fast enough.”