Stettler town and county proclaim October Infant Loss Awareness Month
Officials signed the proclamation during a ceremony this week at town council chambers, citing the need to support grieving families.
The County of Stettler and Town of Stettler have jointly proclaimed October as Infant Loss Awareness Month, with a signing ceremony held earlier this week in council chambers.
Town of Stettler Mayor Gord Lawlor said the issue struck a personal chord due to a sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) case he encountered while working in Victim Services, adding that infant loss is a lasting pain and it is important to recognize and support affected families.
According to Statistics Canada, roughly 1,700 infants under age one died annually in Canada between 2015 and 2020. About one in 15 of these deaths occurred while the infant was asleep, with 70 per cent involving babies under four months old, and more than nine in 10 occurring in an unsafe sleep environment, per a 2021 report.
Statistics Canada also notes that SIDS rates in Canada fell by half in the early 2000s, largely because parents began placing babies on their backs to sleep, along with reduced smoking and increased breastfeeding rates. Since 2012, most provinces and territories have replaced the term SIDS with 'undetermined cause.'
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.