14 children have died in Rhode Island so far this year. Experts are raising the alarm.

PROVIDENCE – Health experts gathered Monday to draw attention to an “alarming” spike in child deaths in Rhode Island so far this year which, if the trend continues, would surpass numbers for at least the last two years.

So far in 2024, 14 deaths (and 6 near-deaths) of children from newborns to 18-year-olds have been reported to authorities, said Ashley Deckert, director of the Department of Children, Youth & Families.

Of those 14 deaths, 7 were children not yet a year old, and of those, 4 occurred in just the last week, said Seema Dixit, deputy director of the Rhode Island Department of Health. 

“This is an extremely high incidence that has happened,” said Dixit.

“To put that in perspective, in the entire year of 2022, we had six deaths of children younger than one year of age,” said Dixit, “and for all of 2023, we had 12 fatalities in this age group.”

Deckert and Dixit spoke Monday from the Health Department, where they were joined by Richard Charest, secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, Kimberly Merolla-Brito, director of the Rhode Island Department of Human Services, and Brett Silingsby, a pediatrician at the The Lawrence A. Aubin Sr. Child Protection Center.

The experts, citing confidentiality laws, said they could not talk specifically about any one case. But Deckert said “these cases encompass various causes, including unsafe sleep practices, accidental substance exposure, domestic violence and heart-breaking instances of self-harm.”

How does 2024 so far compare to previous years?

Last year, 33 deaths of children 18 or younger were reported in Rhode Island. In 2022, 29 deaths were reported.

If the current trend continues, 2024 child deaths would significantly surpass those numbers.

“Our presence here today underscores the urgent need to address this alarming rise of incidents,” Deckert said.

What is behind the spike in child deaths?

All of the 2024 cases remain under investigation, without causes of death determined, Dixit said.

“However, we do know sudden unexpected infant death is a leading cause of death for infants in the United States,” she said

In an average year, half of deaths of children under the age of 1 are because of unsafe sleep practices, said Dixit.

Unsafe sleeping practices include putting babies down on their stomach or side, having infants sleep with other children or adults or with bedding, crib bumpers and stuffed toys.

More: Investigation underway after death of two-month-old in Newport

Push for safe sleeping practices

Pediatrician Silingsby said the safest way for babies to sleep is alone, on their back and in a crib or bassinet.

“The goal is for the baby to be in a safe place with a firm sleeping surface, with just the fitted sheet, no pillows, no stuffed animals, no toys,” Silingsby said. “They may not look as cute as the things you see online ... but it is the safest spot for your baby to be.”

Parents or caregivers looking for more information and support can call (401) 222-5960 or consult the Department of Health’s website on safe sleep for infants. 

Secretary Charest urged keeping all drugs and alcohol out of the hands of children.

Six out of 10 child poisonings are caused by prescription or illicit drugs, he said. When drugs are improperly secured, “the risk of unintentional poisoning rises significantly.”

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Experts concerned over 'alarming' number of child, infant deaths in RI