A new report shows an increase in infants deaths due to unsafe sleep practices in Hampton Roads, Va, reports The Virginian-Pilot.
Thirteen children died from abuse or neglect last year in the eastern district that includes Hampton Roads, and 21 others died from unsafe sleep situations.
That’s according to a report released Monday by the Eastern Region Child Fatality Review Team. The statistics, which are for the fiscal year ending June 2015, showed a drop in abuse and neglect deaths from the previous year’s 17.
There was an increase in deaths related to unsafe sleep practices, though, which was 15 the year before. Among the 33 child deaths that the team investigated that didn’t have clear evidence of abuse or neglect, 21 involved unsafe sleeping practices.
Those situations include infants sleeping with an adult, babies put to sleep on their stomachs or in bedding that was too soft, and sleeping somewhere other than a crib, such as a couch, child seat or adult bed.
