Curry bill aimed at reducing sudden infant deaths passes the Pennsylvania House

JENKINTOWN, Feb. 12 – Legislation sponsored by state Rep. Lawrence Curry, D-Montgomery/Phila., to help prevent incidents of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and sudden unexpected death of infants (SUDI) passed the State House yesterday by a vote of 201-0.

H.B. 1752 calls for the establishment of an education and public awareness program by the State Department of Health to inform parents about risk factors associated with SIDS and SUDI, as well as safe sleeping practices for newborns and infants.

According to Curry, the sudden, unexpected death of newborn babies is the third most common cause of death among newborns and is only exceeded in the first year of life by congenital malformations and prematurity. Most SIDS deaths occur when a baby is between two and four months old, with 90 percent occurring before six months of age.

“It is a tragedy that cuts across all socioeconomic, racial and ethnic groups, although statistics show that African-American and Native-American babies are more likely to be at-risk,” Curry noted.

Some of the most common risk factors for sudden infant death include infant sleep position, exposure to smoke, overheating, inappropriate infant bedding and bed sharing, Curry added.

“Very often, young or inexperienced parents don’t realize they may be putting their babies at-risk by laying them in a crib with a thick comforter or by letting them fall asleep in the parents’ bed,” Curry said. “The purpose of this legislation is to reduce the incidence of these terrible tragedies through a concerted program of public awareness and education for parents.”

According to Curry, support for the legislation came from a wide selection of pediatricians and other medical professionals in his district and across the Commonwealth.

In particular, Curry lauded the efforts of Dr. Eileen Goldsmith, a Jenkintown pediatrician who “has worked tirelessly” to educate her own patients and to spread the word about the importance of a safe sleeping environment for infants.

“I believe education and awareness are paramount in protecting the health and well-being of infants,” Curry said. “And experience bears this out. After the American Academy of Pediatrics launched a national Back to Sleep campaign in 1994 that endorsed and promoted the placement of infants on their backs for sleeping and napping, the incidence of sudden infant death in the United States fell by more than fifty percent.

“While there is still no known way to prevent sudden infant death, we can help to minimize the known risks associated with it,” Curry said. “And educating parents about those risk factors is a crucial first step.”

H.B. 1752, known as the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Education and Prevention Act, still needs to be considered by the State Senate before final approval.

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