US maternal deaths have doubled since 1999 with most among Black mothers

The south and the midwest were hit hard, and the greatest increases were seen in Native American and Alaska Native women

Maternal deaths across the US have more than doubled over the course of two decades, with the most deaths occurring among Black women, researchers said on Monday.

The findings were laid out in a new study published on Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Jama). Researchers looked at maternal deaths between 1999 and 2019 - but not the pandemic spike - for every state and five racial and ethnic groups.