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U.S. NEWS Friday 22 december 2017
Soaring overdose deaths cut US life expectancy for 2nd year

said Robert Anderson, who older while going up for
oversees the CDC’s death all younger adults — those
statistics. The last time there most affected by the opi-
was a two-year drop was oid epidemic.
1962-1963. It also hap- The CDC also reported :
pened twice in the 1920s. —West Virginia continued
“If we don’t get a handle to be the state with highest
on this,” he said, “we could drug overdose death rate,
very well see a third year in with a rate of 52 deaths
a row. With no end in sight.” per 100,000 state residents
A three-year decline hap- in 2016. Ohio and New
pened in 1916, 1917 and Hampshire were next, both
1918, which included the at about 39 per 100,000.
worst flu pandemic in mod- —Life expectancy for men
ern history. Overall, there decreased, but it held
were more than 2.7 mil- steady for women. That in-
lion U.S. deaths in 2016, or creased the gender gap to
about 32,000 more than five years; about 76 for men
the previous year. It was and 81 for women. —U.S.
the most deaths in a single death rates decreased for
year since the government seven of the 10 leading
has been counting. That causes of death, but rose
Sgt. Eric Franz, Social Media Administrator for the Cincinnati police Department, grasps a collaps- partly reflects the nation’s for suicide, Alzheimer’s dis-
ing man while responding to a possible overdose report at a gas station in downtown Cincinnati.
The sheriff of Clermont County firmly believes it’s a call of duty for his deputies to carry the drug. growing and aging popu- ease and for a category
His counterpart in nearby Butler County says it subjects deputies to danger while making no last- lation. But death rates last called unintentional inju-
ing impact on the death toll. year continued to go down ries (which includes drug
(AP Photo/John Minchillo) for people who are 65 and overdoses).q
BY MIKE STOBBE deaths and prescription
AP Medical Writer painkillers to 14,500 deaths.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. The balance of the over-
deaths from drug overdos- dose deaths involved sed-
es skyrocketed 21 percent atives, cocaine and meth-
last year, and for the sec- amphetamines. More than
ond straight year dragged one drug is often involved
down how long Americans in an overdose death.
are expected to live. The highest drug death
The government figures re- rates were in ages 25 to 54.
leased Thursday put drug Preliminary 2017 figures
deaths at 63,600, up from show the rise in overdose
about 52,000 in 2015. For deaths continuing.
the first time, the power- The drug deaths weigh into
ful painkiller fentanyl and CDC’s annual calculation
its close opioid cousins of the average time a per-
played a bigger role in the son is expected to live. The
deaths than any other le- life expectancy figure is
gal or illegal drug, surpass- based on the year of their
ing prescription pain pills birth, current death trends
and heroin. and other factors. For de-
“This is urgent and deadly,” cades, it was on the up-
said Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, swing, rising a few months
director of the Centers for nearly every year. But last
Disease Control and Pre- year marked the first time
vention. The opioid epi- in more than a half century
demic “clearly has a huge that U.S. life expectancy
impact on our entire soci- fell two consecutive years.
ety.” A baby born last year in
Two-thirds of last year’s the U.S. is expected to
drug deaths — about live about 78 years and 7
42,000 — involved opioids, months, on average, the
a category that includes CDC said. An American
heroin, methadone, pre- born in 2015 was expected
scription pain pills like Oxy- to live about a month lon-
Contin, and fentanyl. Fatal ger and one born in 2014
overdoses that involved about two months lon-
fentanyl and fentanyl-like ger than that. The dip in
drugs doubled in one year, 2015 was blamed on drug
to more than 19,000, most- deaths and an unusual up-
ly from illegally made pills turn in the death rate for
or powder, which is often the nation’s leading killer,
mixed with heroin or other heart disease. Typically, life
drugs. expectancy goes back up
Heroin was tied to 15,500 after a one-year decline,