9 months ago
Kerala's Infant Mortality Rate Drops to 5 per 1,000 Live Births
Kerala, a state in India, has done a great job in reducing the number of babies dying within their first year.
They have been working on this for a long time by providing better healthcare and helping moms and babies.
They even have special programs to help babies with heart problems.
Now, only 5 out of every 1,000 babies born in Kerala die within their first year, which is amazing!
Kerala achieves IMR of 5, surpassing national average and some developed nations
Decades of targeted interventions and public health investments key to success
Neonatal deaths, rural-urban disparities, and cultural factors posed challenges
State launched schemes like Shalabham, LaQshya, MusQan, KARE, and Hridyam to tackle IMR
Hridyam initiative focuses on early detection and treatment of congenital heart diseases
- Who
- Kerala state government, National Health Mission, Indian Academy of Paediatrics
- What
- Achieved Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of 5 per 1,000 live births
- Where
- Kerala, India
- When
- IMR data released in September 2025, National Newborn Week marked from November 15 to 21, 2025
- Why
- To improve maternal and child health outcomes and reduce infant mortality
Proponents of Kerala's IMR success
Challenges faced in reducing IMR
IMR reduction
Proponents of Kerala's IMR success
Kerala's IMR success is a result of targeted interventions and public health investments.
Challenges faced in reducing IMR
Neonatal deaths, rural-urban disparities, and cultural factors posed challenges in reducing IMR.
Key facts
- IMR (Kerala)
- 5 deaths per 1,000 live births
- IMR (National average)
- 25 deaths per 1,000 live births
- IMR (US)
- 5.6 deaths per 1,000 births (last year)
- Neonatal deaths (Kerala)
- Major cause of infant mortality
- Schemes launched
- Shalabham, LaQshya, MusQan, KARE, Hridyam
Quotes
Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW)
The Indian government ministry responsible for health and family welfare
“Kerala’s IMR not only outpaces the national IMR of 25 but surpasses some developed nations – including the US”
indianexpress.com
State Health Department, Kerala
The government department responsible for health services in the Indian state of Kerala
“One of the key challenges was the stubbornly high neonatal deaths — babies dying within the first 28 days”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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