Thirty deaths were caused by sudden infant death syndrome in 2014, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said on Wednesday, citing Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics as it urged parents to pay more attention to babies’ sleeping environments.
Some people believe that putting infants to sleep on their stomach or on their side can prevent a flattened head, but the HPA advised parents to put their newborn babies to sleep on their backs for safety reasons.
Sudden infant death syndrome refers to the unexplained death of a seemingly healthy baby less than a year old. The cause of death still remains unknown after analysis of pathological anatomy and detailed inspections of medical histories, the agency said.
In 2014, 30 deaths were attributed to sudden infant death syndrome, accounting for 3.9 percent of infant deaths that year. It ranked sixth in the top causes of infant deaths, the administration said.
Studies have shown that sudden death in infants often occurs during sleep, with many studies suggesting that babies younger than one year old should be placed on their backs when sleeping to reduce risk of death during sleep.
The American Academy of Pediatrics released a list of recommendations for a safe infant sleeping environment for preventing sudden infant death syndrome and other sleep-related deaths in 2011, and the first recommendation was “back to sleep.”
Other recommendations included “keep soft objects and loose bedding out of the crib” and “use a firm sleeping surface.”
In addition, the HPA has recommended 12 preventive measures, including parents keeping the baby in their room, while not sharing a bed, making sure nothing covers the infant’s head or face, avoiding overheating, offering a pacifier at bedtime, but making sure the pacifier is not hung onto the infant’s neck or clothes, and maintaining a non-smoking environment.
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