Report of the New South Wales Chief Health Officer, 1997

Graphic: Mothers + babies - Sudden infant death syndrome

Category 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995
Number of males 125 110 117 113 113 88 71 44 36 45
Number of females 80 64 61 70 69 43 37 35 40 27
Number of persons 205 174 178 183 182 131 108 79 76 72

Note: Sudden infant death syndrome was classified according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9) Code: 798.0. 1995 data excludes deaths registered after 1995.
Source: ABS mortality data (HOIST), Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch, NSW Health Department.
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the single most common cause of infant death in NSW. In 1995, SIDS was responsible for 72 (14.6 %) infant deaths.

Following a national prevention campaign, the number of deaths due to SIDS in NSW decreased by about two-thirds over 10 years, from 205 in 1986 to 72 in 1995. The risk of SIDS is reduced by: placing babies to sleep on their backs; ensuring that they have a smoke-free environment, both before and after birth; and ensuring that the baby's head remains uncovered during sleep.

Until 1994, SIDS was substantially more common among males than females, but in recent years the numbers of deaths each year have been similar for both sexes.

About two-thirds (67.5 %) of SIDS deaths occur in the first four months of life.

While the numbers of SIDS deaths decreased in every Health Area in NSW over the 10-year period, this decrease was more marked in the metropolitan Areas (including Central Coast, Hunter and Illawarra Areas) than in the rural Areas. The proportion of all SIDS deaths in NSW occurring in the metropolitan areas decreased from 76 per cent in 1986 to 1990 to 68 per cent in 1991 to 1995. For rural Areas, the proportion increased from 24 to 31 per cent over the same period. This suggests that the national prevention campaign may have been more effective in metropolitan than rural areas.

Since 1991, all post mortem examinations on babies who die unexpectedly are carried out at the NSW Institute of Forensic Medicine at Glebe or the Department of Forensic Pathology, Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead Hospital. These specialist services ensure that unexpected infant deaths are fully investigated.

For more information, see: National SIDS Council of Australia and the Australian College of Paediatrics, Reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), Scientific literature to support the recommendations of the Forum to review the risk factors for SIDS, convened by the National SIDS Council of Australia, Melbourne, March 1997.
Produced by Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch, Public Health Division, New South Wales Health Department on 20 March 1998.