Health: Born in The U.S.A.

One of the worst places for a child to be born in the industrialized world is the U.S. A report released last week by the Children's Defense Fund found that the U.S., with 10.8 infant deaths for every 1,000 live births in 1984, is tied with Belgium and East and West Germany for the highest infant mortality rate among the 20 leading industrialized nations. The C.D.F. also found that the death rate for black children is nearly twice as high as the rate for whites and that between 1983 and 1984, infant mortality rates increased in six of the country's largest cities, including Washington. "A black infant born within five miles of the White House," said the report, "is more likely to die in the first year of life than an infant born in Third World countries like Trinidad."

C.D.F. President Marian Wright Edelman cited inadequate access to medical care for the poor as the main cause of the high mortality rate. She called for funding increases in maternal and child health and nutrition programs.