(Washington, DC)  --  An new report from the National Center for Health Statistics reveals the U.S. ranks 30th in the world in infant mortality.

   The report finds a very high rate of pre-term births, resulting in the death of infants.
   The results are an important indicator of the quality of health care.

   The U.S. ranked 30th in the category in 2005, the latest year the global ranking was available.
   Pre-term births in America have risen 36-percent since 1984.

   Meanwhile, the March of Dimes charity estimates that each year more than 540,000 babies in the U.S. are born early, which means before 37 weeks of gestation.


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