Child deaths in England: one in 14 had closely related parents

A National Child Mortality Database analysis of 13,045 child deaths in England from 2019–2023 found that 926 (7%) involved parents who were close blood relatives; the report notes higher proportions among children from Asian backgrounds and in the most deprived areas.

Researchers at the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) analysed every recorded child death in England between 2019 and 2023 to examine links with parental consanguinity. The study found that 926 of 13,045 child deaths (7%) involved parents who were close blood relatives, such as first cousins. Authors describe this as the first nationwide analysis of its kind and say the data shows overrepresentation of such children in mortality figures. The report also highlights differing patterns by ethnicity and area deprivation. Key findings: - The NCMD dataset covered 13,045 child deaths from 2019–2023; 926 cases (7%) involved parents who were close relatives. - Of the deceased children whose parents were close relatives, 79% were reported as from an Asian ethnic background, with Pakistani ethnicity the most common, and 52% lived in the most deprived areas of England. - Among deaths of children born to closely related parents, 59% were linked to chromosomal, genetic and congenital anomalies. - An NHS spokesperson said the health service is running a small pilot to test whether nurses with specialist training in these complications could prevent deaths in targeted areas. Summary: The report indicates children born to closely related parents are overrepresented in child mortality statistics and that a large share of deaths in this group are linked to genetic and congenital conditions. Researchers called for urgent action and the NHS has announced a small pilot of specialist nursing support; further policy or programme steps were not specified.