New Law Passed Will Collect Data to Help Prevent Infant Deaths

Washington, DC, USA, December 19, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Today, President Obama signed The Sudden Unexpected Death Data Enhancement and Awareness Act (S.2746/H.R.669) into law. This Public Health Service Act will help enhance awareness about sudden unexpected death in early life. The law provides for consistent data collection related to stillbirths and sudden, unexpected death in both infants and children. 

According to First Candle, every year approximately 30,000 families in the U.S. are affected by Stillbirth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) or Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC). SIDS is still the leading cause of death for babies between one month and one year of age. By better understanding the causes of these deaths, we can do more to improve the health of all infants and children.

“Every single Senator in our country approved this important bipartisan legislation. I applaud President Obama for signing it into law,” said Chris Blake, President of First Candle. “Data collected when an infant dies is not the same in every state. There has been a 15 year plateau in sudden infant death rates. This law will help fix that, by getting the states on the same page with best practices and enhancing the information available to families. It will also provide our public health officials and researchers consistent data to learn from and decrease these tragedies from happening.” 

“Seventeen years ago I lost my son Connor to SIDS.  One of the most difficult aspects of this tragedy is the unknown and the questions I live with to this day – could anything have been done to prevent it?  I’m so grateful to President Obama for signing this bill and allowing for better protocols and standards for gathering information about Stillbirth, SIDS, SUID and SUDC.”  Alison Jacobson, SIDS Parent.

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About First Candle:  First Candle is a leading national nonprofit dedicated to safe pregnancies and the survival of babies through the first years of life. With programs of research, education and advocacy, the organization is working to ensure that every baby is given the best possible chance to reach not only his or her first birthday, but many happy birthdays beyond. First Candle also provides compassionate grief support to all those affected by the death of a baby through a toll-free crisis hotline (1.800.221.7437).  For more information call 443-640-1049.