Fans Linked to Lower Risk of Infant Death

10 babies have died in 3 years

(NEWSER) - Families living at the Ft. Bragg Army base have suffered undue numbers of infant deaths, prompting military authorities to begin an investigation. Ten infants have died from unknown causes since 2007—three in the same house, the LA Times reports. "There has to be something in that house that's causing healthy babies to get sick and die," said Bianca Outlaw, 20, the mother of one of the dead infants. More»

10 babies have died at base since 2007

(NEWSER) - Ten babies under the age of eight months have died suddenly in military housing at Fort Bragg since early 2007, and investigators haven't been able to figure out why. Officials don't suspect foul play, but are looking into environmental conditions, structural factors and hazardous materials as possible causes, the Los Angeles Times reports. More»

(NEWSER) - A column suggesting that housecats murder babies out of jealousy has earned the Houston Chronicle a lot of, well, catcalls. It's not true, the paper now reports. “It’s funny that someone would still actually think that is true,” said a veterinarian and SPCA official. “That is a very old wives’ tale that has since been debunked.” Leaving infants unsupervised with any animal is unwise, but cats to not present a homicidal threat. More»

Key research on baby deaths

(NEWSER) - Some cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome may be caused by staph and E. coli infections, a new study finds. British researchers saw significant levels of both bacteria in 470 of 546 SIDS victims ranging in age from 7 days to one year. But scientists don't yet know what the findings mean for medical care. Some 2,500 infants die of SIDS each year in the US. More»

Depression is more dangerous before the baby is born, researchers say

(NEWSER) - Most new mothers with post-partum depression are ill long before their babies are born, the first study of clinical depression during pregnancy has found. The research, conducted at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, shows that depression, triggered by a natural increase in stress hormones during pregnancy, is a "hidden" cause of infant mortality, the FT reports. More»