In response to a rising number of infant deaths, the Allegheny County Health Department and nonprofit Cribs for Kids are urging greater awareness and action.

At the Cribs for Kids warehouse in Hazelwood on Tuesday, Dr. Iulia Vann, director of the health department, warned parents that unexpected infant deaths have nearly tripled since 2020 and are disproportionately affecting Black babies.

“In 2026, even if we’re halfway through this year, we’re already looking at 12 babies who lost their lives in Allegheny County, and that needs to stop,” Vann said.

In 2024, the county recorded 23 deaths attributable to Sudden Unexpected Infant Death, or SUID. In 2020, the number was nine.

The unofficial number of deaths for 2025 was 16, according to the health department. Official numbers will be released later this year.

SUID is defined as the death of an infant when there is no obvious cause before an investigation.

Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato said nearly half of the infants who died from sudden unexpected infant death in Allegheny County since 2020 were Black, despite Black babies accounting for about 25% of live births in the county.

“These disparities, they do not happen by accident. They reflect systemic inequalities that affect health outcomes long before that child was born, and that demands action and mobilization from all of us,” Innamorato said.

“Every baby deserved to celebrate their first birthday with their family,” she added.

In 2024, every SUID case reviewed involved at least one unsafe sleep factor, such as co-sleeping, sleeping on a couch or in a parent’s bed, fluffy bedding, an improper sleep position or overheating. Additionally, 97% of cases involved families that had a safe sleep location available in their homes, Vann said.

“Nearly all families had a safe place available, so that means to us that this is not only an educational discussion, this needs to be an action discussion,” Vann said.

Ronnie Das, a spokesman for the health department, said the county has begun placing billboards and bus advertisements promoting safe sleep “ABCs” — standing for Alone, on their Backs, and in a Crib.

Billboards are located in Mt. Oliver, Homestead, Wilkinsburg and McKeesport, Das said.

Mandeep Gill, director of the Allegheny County Department of Children, Youth and Families, said many families do not realize how dangerous couches and adult beds can be for infants.

“Parenting can be hard, and we all are all trying to make the best decisions with the support and resources around us. Sometimes families wind up bed sharing, and for a number of reasons, that happens,” Gill said.

Jada Shirriel is CEO of the pregnancy health organization Healthy Start. She said the program is working with Cribs for Kids to prevent infant sleep-related deaths by educating parents and caregivers on the importance of practicing safe sleep.

“We’ve also begun to facilitate a safe sleep community task force, which includes community health workers, community and clinical birth workers, other medical professionals, governmental and emergency service providers, community elders, faith-based leaders and folks from the academic community to explore gaps in existing safe sleep,” Shirriel said.