Moreover,
Why does infant mortality increase:
It is a black point of French public health: since 2012. In addition, infantile mortality (death before one year) no longer decreases. Meanwhile, It has even increased continuously since 2020, to reach 4.1 per thousand births, compared to 3.6 in 2012.
“This is a real singularity in Europe”, notes Géraldine Duthé, research director at INED. Meanwhile, Among the best students in the 1990s, France fell to the 23e place on 27 European countries. Moreover, Since 2015, infant mortality has been greater than the European average. Nevertheless, This mortality occurs half between the 1is et 27e day of babies, for a quarter on the day of birth.
How to explain this disturbing regression? Furthermore, One of the factors most often invoked is the closure of maternities, three times less numerous today than in 1975. Consequently, Many small structures have been closed in the name why does infant mortality increase of security: the lack of experience of staff for lack of sufficient activity. Nevertheless, recruitment difficulties would not allow optimal care of delivery.
Symmetrically, journalists Anthony Cortes and Sébastien Muirquin describe, in their investigation book 4,1. The Delivery scandal in France (Buchet Chastel, 2025), big maternity units like “Baby factories”, where midwives are overloaded. However, A recent bill to combat infant mortality. Furthermore, adopted by the National Assembly on May 15 and transmitted to the Senate, offers a three -year moratorium on these closures.
The distance is not in question – Why does infant mortality increase
However. Moreover, despite its obvious character, the impact of the volume of activity and the type of maternity on mortality is difficult to assess. Nevertheless, “Statistically, we are a little disarmed, the deaths remaining relatively rare »underlines Géraldine Duthé. On the other hand. studies deny the idea that the closure of maternities would increase mortality for newborns, lengthening the journey why does infant mortality increase of women about to give birth.
It first appears that big maternity, better equipped, are more able to take care of neonatal problems. Then, if the distance can increase the risks for unexpected deliveries before reaching the hospital, these cases are rare. “This represents less 0,5 % of births ”, Note Hugo Pilkington, health geographer.
“The distance hides the real risk factor. which is social precariousness”, Hugo Pilkington, geographer
The highest neonatal mortality rates are even observed for home-maternity distances of less than 5 km. “The distance hides the real risk factor. which is social precariousness”he decrypts while stressing that the distance can nevertheless, no doubt, play a role in some the territories.
Another explanatory track is indeed the characteristics of the population of pregnant women, which would have evolved. At the INED, the exploration of this hypothesis has just been entrusted why does infant mortality increase to a doctoral student. Among the changes often mentioned. the increase in the average age of women does not seem involved in the recent increase.
The baby’s risk of death is higher for “very old” women. more affected by certain pathologies and complications, and very young, due to less good follow -up. But according to INSEE. for periods 2010-2014 and 2015-2022, “The evolution of the population structure by the mother’s age and by type of childbirth has no impact on the evolution of the infant mortality rate”.
More precarious mothers?
On the other hand, greater precariousness of mothers may well have played in the current trend. Because it is linked to more unfavorable working. life conditions, less good follow -up, less good health, precariousness is a risk factor for infant mortality. The rate of the latter is also higher for workers, employees and even more for inactive women than for why does infant mortality increase managers.
There is a lack of reliable data on the evolution of mothers’ social. categories
Insee also notes that the increase in mothers born abroad affected the infant mortality rate of 0.1 point. However. there is a lack of reliable data on the evolution of the social categories of mothers to validate this hypothesis, which moreover does not convince the French Society of Neonatalogy (SFN).
“There is undoubtedly a role of socio -demographic factors. but other countries comparable to France also experience an increase in precariousness without increase in infant mortality, Note Elsa Kermorvant, her vice-president. Our hypothesis is that there is a problem in the management of prematurers due to a degradation of the. care circuit. »
The pediatrician recalls that prematurity is the first cause of infantile mortality, before congenital malformations and complications of childbirth. The babies why does infant mortality increase concerned are treated in neonatal critical care services. whose organization has not been revised since 1998 when they take care of increasingly immature and fragile children – even if the rate of prematurity remains stable, around 7 % of births.
Saturated neonatal critical care
These services are saturated: beds and human resources are lacking. As everywhere in a under -tension hospital. the degradation of working conditions feeds a loss of attractiveness that is all the stronger in these particularly heavy care services.
“It creates a vicious circle: the staff do not stay when it takes two years to reach full. competence to exercise it”pointe Elsa Kermorvant.
Comparison with European countries argues in favor of reform of the organization of neonatal critical care
Comparison with European countries. such as the highest infant mortality noted by INSEE for children from multiple pregnancies why does infant mortality increase – more often premature – support the arguments of doctors, which call for a reform of the organization of neonatal critical care.
The SFN has also obtained satisfaction. in April, on a long -standing claim: the creation of a register which will make it possible to collect and link data today scattered on births (information on parents, birthplaces, pregnancy, childbirth, etc.) in order to better understand the causes of infant mortality.
“Currently we know how to count the dead. but not connect them to a medical history”deplores Jean-Christophe Rozé, president of the SFN.
The implementation of this register should make it possible to see more clearly. provided that it is accompanied by sufficient means. But for specialists in neonatal medicine, it should not prevent a reform from the organization of services, deemed essential.
Further reading: New scandal in a Catholic establishment? Rape of a 15 -year -old student by a reported supervisor, an open investigation – Covid-19, towards an outbreak this summer in France? Forecasts from the Academy of Medicine – L’Express – “Exceptional temperatures” in Brittany, fatal accident in Plumaugat, fight against medical deserts: the point at midday – France enters the heart of the matter in the face of Lithuania – “Thank you to my husband and my children”.
