Sudden Infant Death Syndrome News and Research

RSS

Study reveals geographic gaps in breastfeeding initiation across America

A nationwide analysis led by a UC Riverside (Calif.) professor provides one of the clearest pictures yet of where mothers are least likely to begin breastfeeding their babies in the United States and what circumstances associate with lower rates.

20 Jul 2026

Survey reveals critical knowledge gaps in maternal health recommendations

Most Americans know that how well a mother takes care of herself before and during pregnancy affects the health of a baby, but many people remain unclear about some specific maternal health recommendations, including when to start avoiding alcohol, according to a new nationally representative survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania.

29 May 2026

In RFK Jr.’s upside-down world of vaccines, panel votes to end hepatitis B shot at birth

Recent weeks have brought good news about vaccines, with studies indicating that flu vaccination reduces heart disease, shingles vaccines can prevent or slow dementia, and a single human papilloma virus shot protects a girl from cervical cancer for the rest of her life.

5 Dec 2025

Survey shows low public concern despite rising West Nile virus infections in the U.S.

West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne illness in the continental United States. As of Sept. 23, over 1,100 human cases of West Nile disease have been reported across 42 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including nearly 750 cases of the more serious neuroinvasive form which affects the brain.

26 Sep 2025

Survey: Public support for MMR vaccine requirements in schools rises to 70%

Although Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted on social media in April that the "most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine," in a CBS News interview that month he said, "The federal government's position, my position, is that people should get the measles vaccine, but the government should not be mandating it."

13 Sep 2025

Many Americans turn to AI for health answers despite accuracy warnings

Traditionally, individuals asked health questions of their primary health care provider. Confidence in that provider as a source of trustworthy health information has been consistently high in recent years and was at 90% in April, according to survey data from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania.

14 Jul 2025

Survey: Many adults unaware of key facts that can help prevent SIDS

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the unexpected, unexplained, sudden death of a child younger than one year old.

3 Jul 2025

New hypothesis links caffeine to lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome

After decades of stalled national progress in reducing the rate of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID), a category of infant mortality that includes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), researchers at Rutgers Health have proposed an unexpected solution: Caffeine might protect babies by preventing dangerous drops in oxygen that may trigger deaths.

11 Jun 2025

Some parents struggle with ending pacifier use and thumb-sucking in children, poll suggests

Pacifiers and thumb-sucking can help soothe babies and ease them to sleep but some parents struggle with knowing when and how to stop these habits, a new national poll suggests.

19 May 2025

Study uncovers blood signatures linked to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

New University of Virginia School of Medicine research revealing the fingerprints of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome within blood samples could open the door to simple tests to identify babies at risk.

22 Jan 2025

The true death toll of hurricanes in the U.S.

Researchers investigate the excess mortality associated with tropical cyclones in the contiguous United States.

4 Oct 2024

Rise in SUID and SIDS during COVID-19 pandemic linked to respiratory viruses

The risk of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) increased during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period, especially in 2021, according to a new study led by researchers at the Penn State College of Medicine.

26 Sep 2024

UCSF researchers move closer to predicting sudden infant death syndrome

Researchers at UC San Francisco are getting closer to being able to predict sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS.

9 Sep 2024

Finnish study shows 50% reduction in child deaths over 15 years

According to a study by researchers at the University of Oulu, the mortality rate among children and adolescents under the age of 16 dropped by 50 percent between 2005 and 2020.

30 Aug 2024

Researchers receive $2.8 million grant to investigate Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

More than 3,400 Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths are reported annually in the United States, making it the country's biggest cause of death of infants from 1 month to 1 year old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

16 Aug 2024

New brain connectivity maps offer insights into human consciousness

In a paper titled, "Multimodal MRI reveals brainstem connections that sustain wakefulness in human consciousness," published today in Science Translational Medicine, a group of researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, and Boston Children's Hospital, created a connectivity map of a brain network that they propose is critical to human consciousness.

2 May 2024

Innovative online tool aims to lower SIDS risk through personalized sleep plans

A new web-based baby sleep planner, developed by researchers at the University of Bristol, could help save babies lives from sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS, a study suggests.

26 Feb 2024

Seizures may be responsible for some sudden deaths in children, study finds

In a study designed to better understand sudden, unexpected deaths in young children, which usually occur during sleep, researchers have identified brief seizures, accompanied by muscle convulsions, as a potential cause.

4 Jan 2024

Study exposes tobacco smoke's alarming impact on breast milk, elevating toxic elements

Study reveals that both active and passive tobacco smoke exposure during pregnancy or lactation significantly increases the levels of toxic micro-elements like mercury, cadmium, lead, and arsenic in breast milk, posing serious health risks to infants.

27 Nov 2023

Drug for children with achondroplasia may help reduce chances of SIDS

A drug that boosts bone growth in children with the most common form of dwarfism, may also reduce their chances of sudden infant death syndrome, sleep apnea and needing surgery, according to a new study.

21 Nov 2023