List of countries by infant mortality rate-- the US is way down there

[panader0]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_infant_mortality_rate
The United Nations list has the US at 33rd, after countries like Slovenia (no offense Slovenians), Cuba, Singapore, Hong Kong and 29 more. The CIA World Factbook list has the US at 46th. Most of the countries ahead of the US have socialized medicine.

[FreakinDJ]

1. Ya thunk there is a correlation to Socialized Medicine

[panader0]

2. I think the US has the best hospitals, doctors and care available,

if you have tons of money.

[DeadEyeDyck]

3. I don't mean to oppose your point but I have a little inside

information on those stats. The US, more than any otehr country goes to great lengths to bring a birth to life. 1.8 OZ babies are incubated and nutured to a full life. This is unheard of in any other country. Chances are, if you do not how up at the full term mark, ready able to live, you will not be delivered.

My friend's daughter is 4 months old and is just crosing 10 pounds. She has had several surgeries. We can debate whether such exotic meassures should have been taken to preserve her life but in most other countries, she would not have gottenthat support and wopuld never had been recorded as an infantile mortality.

My mom worked at the CDC\ATSDR in Atlanta and explained much of this to me. She said that many of the babies we struggle to keep alive would have been still-born in other countries and woudl never have been counted. I guess it is a credit to us as a people that we go to such great lengths to preserve life.

With all that taken into account, she said we are the first in lowest infant mortality. I think that must be true. I was born on Germany to an Army Dad and German Mom. We came stateside when I was 8. I knew of lost babies there but cannot think of anyone personally here. Not scientific. But just the same.

I think there is an MMWR publication that explains this.

[polly7]

4. Canada does the same.

I believe high-risk pregnancies are routinely brought to term using advanced / exotic methods in many countries, it's not just in the U.S., no ..... definitely not unheard of, or even uncommon here. My niece and her new baby are just one example, the left side of his heart was completely abandoned in a six hour surgery that resulted in what his cardiac surgeon in Alberta calls, his miracle baby. This major defect was discovered very early into the pregnancy, she spent the last few months in hospital. Their first had died shortly before birth, she received special care during that one too, unfortunately he couldn't be saved. We go to extra lengths here too ........ all the time.