Accordidng to preliminary data of the Public Health Ministry`s National Staistics Board, published by Granma daily, the Island reached a 5.8-percent infant mortality rate, only surpassed by Canada (five percent) in this hemisphere.

That was the result of 735 deaths of children under one year of age, as a consequence of perinatal diseases and congenital malformations.

The data reveals there were 127,062 births (seven percent less of those reported the previous year), which prevented the Caribbean nation from reaching its lowest infant mortality rate in History.

The newspaper says these results were achieved due to the people`s high educational level and free accessible medical assistance, which facilitates protection and securuity to family environment, with qualified assistance.

The World State of Infancy 2005, a UNICEF (UN Children`s Fund) publication, says Denmark, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Singapore, and Sweden have the lowest infant mortality rate, with 4 deaths per each 1,000 live births.

By: Cubaweb