SIDS rates double in Ireland since 2019, register urges action

The National Paediatric Mortality Register has warned that sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) rates have risen sharply, reaching 0.46 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023.

The 2026 annual report shows the 2023 figure more than doubles the 0.20 rate recorded in 2019, with 25 SIDS deaths – the highest number since 2008, though still far below the late‑1980s average of 150 per year.

Data for 2024 indicate a rate of 0.37 deaths per 1,000 live births, though this figure may change as further information becomes available.

The register describes the rise as a “re‑emergence” of SIDS as the leading cause of post‑neonatal death and calls for stronger mortality surveillance and renewed national prevention efforts.

Call for coordinated response

It recommends coordinated action across maternity, neonatal, primary‑care and community services and is supporting the HSE Child Health Public Health investigation to identify high‑risk groups. The report notes that while the exact cause of SIDS is unknown, modifiable risk factors such as infant sleep position, sleep environment and tobacco‑smoke exposure have been linked to many cases.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Natalie Bond / Pexels.