We saw several summaries this week of news that homicide had fallen off the list of the top 15 ways Americans die.
Reported the Post:
Homicide climbed into the top 15 causes of death in the United States in 1965. It got as high as No. 10 for three years in the early 1990s. In recent years it’s been hovering at No. 13 or 14. In 2010, it fell to 16.
“We’re really not sure what’s driving this. That’s the million-dollar question,” [Chief of Mortality Statistics at the National Center for Health Statistics Robert N.] Anderson said.
Added AP:
The 2010 list, released by the government Wednesday, reflects at least two major trends: Murders are down, and deaths from certain diseases are on the rise as the population ages, health authorities said.
Homicide was overtaken at No. 15 by pneumonitis, seen mainly in people 75 and older. It happens when food or vomit goes down the windpipe and causes deadly damage to the lungs.
Reported Bloomberg:
Homicides, which fell 3.6 percent in 2010, dropped from the CDC’s list of leading causes of death and other vital U.S. statistics for the first time in 45 years, according to preliminary data released today by the agency. Life expectancy expanded to about 78.7 years.
The homicide rate in 2010 was “the lowest it’s been since 1962,” Sherry Murphy, the report’s lead author, said today in a telephone interview. Assault fell off the CDC’s list of the top 15 causes of death for the first time since 1965 as homicides dropped to 5.3 cases for every 100,000 people.
The National Center for Health Statistics‘ report is below.
