Child deaths in England have risen once more after a temporary drop during the Covid-19 pandemic, UK researchers have said.
An analysis of the National Child Mortality Database found in 2022/23, there were 258 more child deaths than expected when compared with figures from the pre-pandemic period.
During national lockdowns – April 2020 to March 2021 – figures suggest children were less likely to die than any year before or since with 377 fewer deaths than expected based on the previous year.
The following year, levels then returned to those seen before the pandemic, researchers from the University of Bristol said.
Their analysis based in PLoS Medicine uses a mathematical model to understand if trends in child mortality were going up or down.
It confirmed the reduction in deaths seen in the pandemic was temporary and has now reached a new high.
The data also highlighted that existing healthcare inequalities, with the relative rate of dying for children from non-white backgrounds, compared to white children, is now higher than before or during the pandemic.
Professor Karen Luyt, professor of neonatal medicine at the University of Bristol said: ‘These stark findings demonstrate that, for most children and most causes of death, the reduction in mortality that was seen during the pandemic was only temporary.
‘The NCMD’s unique data also tells us that existing inequalities have widened, with outcomes deteriorating for children from poor and non-white backgrounds compared with their peers.
‘But it also shows that change is possible; more must be done to change these trends in the long term, and improve and save children’s lives.’
In December, a report warned that children from the most deprived areas are four times more likely to die from an asthma attack.
Research recently indicated GP practices in deprived areas should be prioritised for funding and modelling by two ICBs showed this would cost just over £300m to roll out across England.
