TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - The number of babies dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is declining in Florida, down 86 percent compared to 20 years ago.
But the decline is not due to a new medication or prevention strategy but because more medical examiners in the state have stopped classifying deaths at SIDS.
They say the infants are not dying of a mysterious illness but typically from unsafe sleeping environments.
Pinellas and Pasco counties medical examiner Dr. Jon Thogmartin says his office almost never finds that a child dies during sleep when it's been in a safe environment.
But problems remain as medical examiners in various parts of the state disagree over how to categorize these deaths leading to a patchwork approach.
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