Infant Death Data

Infant deaths are defined as deaths of children under one year of age. Information from the Washington State Birth and Death Certificate Systems is combined to produce records of all infant deaths occurring in the state and nearly all infant deaths to residents of the state.

Information is gathered about the mother, the father, the pregnancy, the child, and the cause-of-death. Information about the birth is collected in hospitals and birth centers; information about the death is collected by funeral directors from an informant (usually a family member). Cause-of-death information is provided by a certifying physician, medical examiner, or coroner.

The major purpose of the infant death file is to provide combined information about the birth and death that can be used by data analysts, policy makers, health care providers and others to help prevent future infant deaths.

Documents posted in PDF, Word, and other formats on the Department of Health Web site will be made available on request to users who are unable to download or view them. For persons with disabilities, PDF documents will be made available on request in other formats. To submit a request, contact the Web Coordinator. Download the free viewers here.

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Washington State Department of Health
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Olympia, Washington, 98504-7890

Last Update:  February 15, 2012
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