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U.S. ranks low in baby survival [US]

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Author: 
Tanner, Lindsey
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Article
Publication Date: 
10 May 2006
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America may be the world's superpower, but its survival rate for newborn babies ranks near the bottom among modern nations, better only than Latvia.

Among 33 industrialized nations, the United States is tied with Hungary, Malta, Poland and Slovakia with a death rate of nearly 5 per 1,000 babies, according to a new report. Latvia's rate is 6 per 1,000.

In the analysis of global infant mortality, Japan had the lowest newborn death rate, 1.8 per 1,000, and four countries tied for second place with 2 per 1,000 &emdash; the Czech Republic, Finland, Iceland and Norway.

Canada's newborn death rate, 4 per 1,000, puts it in the middle range in the industrialized world, tied with Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

- reprinted from the Associated Press