Sudden death in infancy in Tasmania, 1970--1976.

A series of 155 sudden infant deaths in Tasmania for the period from 1970 to 1976 gives an incidence rate of 2.94 deaths per 1000 live births. This abnormally high State figure is composed of significant internal regional variations. The seasonal, age, and sex distributions are, however, similar to those generally reported elsewhere. If "pneumonitis", as defined in this paper, is also included, the over-all rate of sudden infant deaths becomes 3.79 per 1000 live births.