SIDS/SUDI | sudden infant death syndrome/sudden unexpected death in infancy

SIDS is classified as a sudden and unexplained death of an infant in their first year of life. It is a diagnosis of exclusion - an autopsy must be done and all other causes ruled out. Before safe sleeping campaigns in the 1990s, the prevalence of SIDS was about 1.5 in 1000 babies. Now it is about 0.5 in 1000. From 1989 to 2018, the rate of SUDI deaths in Australia has decreased by 85% – equating to 10,857 babies saved since risk reduction campaigns were introduced