Birmingham City Council has launched a taskforce aimed at reducing the city's infant mortality rate, which is the highest in England and nearly twice the national average.
Between 2016 and 2019, 472 babies died in Birmingham before their first birthday, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. In comparison, in Merseyside, which has a similar number of annual births, there were only 282 infant deaths.
During a city council meeting, Councillor Paulette Hamilton said the figures were “shocking”.
“We need to do more to prevent the loss of life. The loss of a baby is the most devastating consequence a family could ever face. The fact that in Birmingham our rates are so high is distressing.”
The taskforce follows an inquiry into the city’s high number of baby deaths by the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee.
Speaking at the inquiry, Dr Joanna Garstang, Birmingham’s designated doctor for child death, said the city’s high infant mortality rate was not due to failures in maternal care.
Instead, the committee heard that contributing factors included Birmingham’s high level of poverty and above-average obesity rate, and the fact that the city identifies only 30% of growth-restricted babies during pregnancy.
Pakistani babies overrepresented in infant deaths due to genetic conditions
The inquiry also highlighted the city’s high number of infant deaths due to genetic anomalies linked to consanguineous marriage (marriages between first and second cousins), which is a more common practice in the Pakistani community than in the UK's overall population.
Dr Garstang said that between April 2018 and March 2020, 45% of babies who died in Birmingham due to chromosomal and genetic conditions were from Pakistani families. In comparison only 14% of Birmingham's population were of Pakistani ethnicity when it was last recorded during the 2011 census.
Speaking to the Birmingham Mail, former regional chief crown prosecutor Nazir Afzal said there was a “strong argument” for outlawing first-cousin marriages to prevent premature deaths and disabilities.
“If there is a direct link between premature death, disability and first cousin marriages [the government] must act on that. It has a duty to protect people’s health.
“The people impacted are the children, and their parents - they are the victims of these choices. It should not be seen as an attack on the community or the family to raise this - it is about protecting vulnerable people and ultimately reducing harm.”
