Black babies died suddenly and unexpectedly in their sleep at a rate 14 times higher than white babies in Cook County between 2019 and 2023 — a startling disparity revealed in a report released Wednesday by county and health officials. [Chicago Tribune]

“I know what it is like to be a Black woman in America, so when I see data like that, it shakes me to my core,” said Dr. Olusimbo Ige, Chicago Department of Public Health commissioner, during a news conference. “Babies are dying simply because mothers don’t have the information and the support that they need.”

Photo credit:(Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

In all, 208 infants in Cook County died suddenly and unexpectedly while sleeping between 2019 and 2023, with 99% of those deaths occurring in sleeping situations that are considered unsafe for babies, such as sleeping with another person, or sleeping with soft bedding items including pillows, blankets or stuffed animals, according to the report.

Black babies died suddenly and unexpectedly in their sleep at a rate 14 times higher than white babies in Cook County between 2019 and 2023 — a startling disparity revealed in a report released Wednesday by county and health officials.

“I know what it is like to be a Black woman in America, so when I see data like that, it shakes me to my core,” said Dr. Olusimbo Ige, Chicago Department of Public Health commissioner, during a news conference. “Babies are dying simply because mothers don’t have the information and the support that they need.”

In all, 208 infants in Cook County died suddenly and unexpectedly while sleeping between 2019 and 2023, with 99% of those deaths occurring in sleeping situations that are considered unsafe for babies, such as sleeping with another person, or sleeping with soft bedding items including pillows, blankets or stuffed animals, according to the report.

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