#528 - Infectious Disease and Pollution

Between 1980 and 1992 in the U.S., the death rate due to infectious diseases as the underlying cause of death increased 58%, from 41 to 65 deaths per 100,000 population, according to the JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.[1] The increase was larger among males (69%) than among females (44%). The greatest increase occurred among people between the ages of 25 and 44; in this age group, the death rate from infectious diseases rose from six to 38 deaths per 100,000 people, more than a six-fold increase. Among people over the age of 65, the death rate from infections increased from 271 per 100,000 to 338 per 100,000, a 25% increase during the period. Among children younger than 5, the death rate from infectious diseases declined during the 12-year period. Overall, during the period, age-adjusted mortality from infectious diseases increased 39% in the U.S.