Top Section
Explore Business Standard
Don’t miss the latest developments in business and finance.
Infants whose mothers have used snus, a moist oral tobacco product, during pregnancy ran three times the risk of sudden infant death, according to a new comprehensive registry study. The risk was much lower if the mother had stopped taking snus before the first antenatal visit, the study said. The researchers, from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, concluded that all types of nicotine products should be avoided during pregnancy. The study is published in the journal Pediatric Research. "Fortunately, the incidence of sudden infant death is very low, but we can see that taking snus or smoking while pregnant is associated with an increased risk," said Anna Gunnerbeck, paediatrician at the Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital and researcher at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet. While it is known that smoking during pregnancy is a risk factor in sudden infant death, little research has been done on snus and other nicotine products, the study
Setting another milestone in the health care sector, Odisha has registered a 39-point decline in infant mortality rate (IMR) in a span of 15 years, which is the "highest in the country", the chief minister's office said on Thursday. Odisha's IMR now stands at 36 per 1000 live births, the CMO stated. With effective implementation of quality healthcare services & focus on safe institutional delivery of women, #Odisha has registered highest point decline of 39 in Infant Mortality Rate in the country from 2005 to 2020. Odisha's IMR stands at 36/1000 live births#OdishaLeads (sic)," the CMO said on Twitter. Odisha was followed by Rajasthan, which recorded a 36-point decline in IMR between 2005 and 2022. Patnaik congratulated the departments concerned for the achievement, according to a release issued by the government. He also held a meeting during the day to review the implementation of Mo Sarkar' (my government), a programme launched in the state in 2019 to seek feedback from common