On Friday, Cook County health officials and a coalition of medical professionals, joined by Rep. Danny Davis, issued a stark warning after local leaders reported a recent rise in babies dying in their sleep. Citing county data and a five-year registry that track sleep-related infant deaths, they urged parents and caregivers to double down on proven safe-sleep practices.
At a news conference, organizers described the trend as a troubling spike and called for coordinated outreach to both families and frontline clinicians. Dr. Gina Lowell told reporters, "If we can ensure babies breathe easy, we can prevent these deaths," according to WGN-TV.
What the county data shows
The Cook County SUID Case Registry, a collaboration between the Medical Examiner’s Office and Rush University, recorded 208 sleep-related infant deaths from 2019 through 2023, or about 41 a year. The registry found that 99 percent of those deaths occurred in unsafe sleep environments, with two-thirds involving an adult sleep surface and 9 out of 10 including soft bedding. Black infants were affected at roughly 14 times the rate of white infants, according to Cook County Government.
How families can reduce risk
Health experts urged caregivers to stick to the ABCs of safe sleep - Alone, on their Back, in a Crib - and to skip blankets, pillows and products that prop or incline infants. Those steps line up with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics, which warn that side or inclined positions can increase the risk of rolling and blocking a baby’s airway.
Local outreach and the gaps
County and state programs, including CPASS Chicago and the Illinois Safe Sleep Support initiative, offer education, home visiting and supplies such as portable cribs to families who need them. Cook County highlighted that prevention work and the registry findings in a recent release, as outlined by Cook County Government and Illinois Safe Sleep Support.
Pediatricians and community groups urged families who have questions or face barriers to reach out to their clinic or local public-health office for help, including safe-sleep gear and one-on-one coaching. For families and providers who want more detail, the Cook County registry and Rush’s five-year report lay out the trends and key prevention steps; see the report at Rush University.
