The numbers from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for 2007 show 4.6 white infants died per 1,000 births, compared with 14 African-American infant deaths.

The statistics also show a slight rise in overall infant mortality. Eight newborns died for every 1,000 live births. The numbers were five percent higher than in 2005, when the state ranked 31st in the nation in infant mortality.

In an analysis scheduled to be released Thursday, the group of Advocates for Children and Youth notes death rates fell for white infants but rose for blacks. Executive Director Matthew Joseph calls that trend "a source of alarm for the state."

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Information from: The (Baltimore) Sun.