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When Ohio's abysmal infant mortality ranking - second from the bottom among all 50 states - was publicized several weeks ago, the universal reaction from Columbus outward in every direction seemed to be one of genuine disbelief and dismay.
Ohio is 48th in the nation in overall infant mortality and 49th in the nation among African-Americans.
But what is the picture like in Wood County?
While Ohio's infant mortality rate is 7.7 per 1,000 births for the decade 2000 to 2010, the rate in Wood County is 2.9 for 2010 alone, the most recently reported single year. That represents four deaths out of a total of 1,310 births.
"We stay low, but we fluctuate from year to year," said Ben Batey, R.N., director of nursing services for the Wood County Health District.