August 20, 2009

CDC: U.S. Life Expectancy Climbs to 78; AIDS-Related Deaths Drop 10%

Americans are living longer than ever—nearly 78 years—according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and reported in The New York Times. The newly released data cover 2007; life expectancy was 77.7 in 2006.

According to the CDC, AIDS-related death rates fell 10 percent—the biggest one-year drop in AIDS mortality since 1998. However, 11,061 people died from AIDS in 2007. For all races combined, it remained the 13th leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds the 6th leading cause of death among 25- to 44-year-olds and the 11th leading cause of death for 45- to 64-year-olds.

The report stated that “following a period of increase from 1987 to 1994, HIV disease mortality reached a plateau in 1995. Subsequently, the rate for this disease decreased an average of 33 percent per year from 1995 through 1998, and 3.9 percent per year from 1999 through 2006.”

In addition to the high life expectancy, doctors said the “active” lifespan of Americans is rising as well, which means people are also living better. The report also found that while women once outlived men by about eight years, the gap has decreased to about five.

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Andy H., Hayward, CA, 2009-08-25 13:40:23
The statistical excerpt in the third paragraph is correctly quoted, but mystifying. If the HIV mortality rate decreased 33% annually, wouldn't it be GONE in the 4th year? Yet it continued to decrease thereafter. I wonder if the decimal's misplaced, or maybe my fuzziness about statistics is at fault. Hmm.