Rise in Infant Drug Dependence Is Felt Most in Rural Areas

The New York Times: Increasing numbers of infants in rural areas in the United States are born dependent on drugs, largely as a consequence of their mothers’ use of opioids, researchers reported on Monday.

From 2004 to 2013, the rate of newborns experiencing withdrawal increased sevenfold among infants born in hospitals in rural counties, to 7.5 per 1,000 from 1.2 per 1,000.

By contrast, in that decade the uptick among urban infants was nearly fourfold, to 4.8 per 1,000 from 1.4 per 1,000.

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