Baby boy in childbirth tragedy remains critical

THE baby boy born to a 34-year-old mother who died while giving birth at Kerry General Hospital, Tralee, on Sunday, remains in a critical condition.

A postmortem examination has since been carried out on the body of the mother, who had worked in Dingle, Co Kerry. An inquest will be held later.

The mother was named locally as Triona Cuddy, a native of Co Laois, who had been employed as a checkout operator in Garvey’s supermarket, Dingle, for about a year. She lives near Dingle with her partner.

In a brief statement yesterday, the Health Service Executive (HSE), which is investigating the circumstances of the death, said her family expressed the wish that the media would respect their privacy to allow them mourn their loss.

Maternal deaths in Ireland have become very infrequent in the past two decades. Our rates are among the best worldwide and reflect the excellent ante natal and obstetric services available in this country. The latest report from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows the maternal death rate in pregnancy and childbirth here is less than a third of that in England and Wales. According to the report, which contains full statistics on births, deaths and stillbirths for the year 2005, the maternal death rate in Ireland, excluding Northern Ireland, was two per 100,000 births compared to seven per 100,000 in England and Wales.

The maternal death rate in Northern Ireland, in the same year, was five per 100,000 and was seven per 100,000 in Scotland.

The report shows the infant (under one year) mortality rate in the 26 counties in 2005 was four per 1,000 live births, compared to five in England, Wales and Scotland and six in the North.

Comparative figures for the infant mortality rate in Ireland since the early 1940s show that until the 1970s, Ireland’s infant morality rate was considerably ahead of that of northern Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland.

However, from the 1970s, the Republic’s infant death rate began to draw level with its neighbouring countries and is now below the rate for northern Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland.

The CSO figures show that in 2005, the highest rate of infant mortality was in Limerick city and the lowest was in Waterford city.

The 2005 figures show that of all deaths at ages under one week, 45% were due to congenital anomalies and the most common cause of death for infants aged four weeks to one year was sudden death, followed by congenital anomalies.

The statistics also show that, in 2005, the number of deaths in the Republic in all categories was the lowest recorded in the history of the State, with a significant fall in the death rate among older people.

Diseases of the circulatory system, including heart disease and stroke, in addition to cancer and respiratory conditions accounted for the bulk of deaths in 2005.