May 02, 2024
João Paulo de Souza Oliveira/Pexels
Although maternal deaths are falling in the U.S., racial disparities still exist, according to a new CDC report.
Maternal deaths are dropping, but racial disparities in mortality rates still persist, according to a report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Maternal deaths fell to 817 in 2022, a significant drop from the 1,200 in 2021, according to the CDC report. There were 861 maternal deaths in 2020.
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The maternal death rate nearly has returned to levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. There were 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2022 compared to 20.1 in 2019.
But the CDC report shows that Black women continue to have a greater risk of death during or within 42 days of pregnancy. They also have a maternal mortality rate nearly three times higher than white women. The maternal mortality rate was 49.5 deaths per 100,000 births for Black women compared to 19 for white women, 16.9 for Hispanic women and 13.2 for Asian women.
"We already know that the health of moms and babies is not prioritized in the U.S., and this latest report is a sobering reminder that our country's maternal and infant health crisis is far from over, especially for women of color," Dr. Elizabeth Cherot, March of Dimes President and CEO, said in a statement. "The rate of maternal deaths among Black women remains far too high. The fact is, we have not improved as a nation, and the same healthcare systems that have historically failed women of color continue to do so today putting too many moms at risk for dying."
The CDC report based 2022 maternal mortality rates on data from the National Vital Statistics System.
