unitex@rubbs.fidonet.org (unitex) (09/24/89)
U.S. AIMS TO INCREASE LIFE EXPECTANCY BY THREE YEARS BY 2000 Posting Date: 09/24/89 Source: UNITEX Network, Hoboken, NJ, USA Host: (201) 795-0733 ISSN: 1043-7932 (Reuters, September 21, 589 words, DATELINE Atlanta) The United States can realistically aim by the year 2000 to increase the average American's life expectancy by at least three years and cut infant mortality by 30 percent, the U.S. Public Health Service said. But the service said a quarter of the health goals it set in the 1970s for 1990 would definitely remain unfulfilled by the deadline three months from now. The United States has fallen particularly short of its health goals for minorities, the health service said. In a series of draft recommendations to be formally incorporated next year into its health goals for the year 2000, the service envisioned raising average U.S. life expectancy to at least 78 years from the 74.9 years it was in 1987, the last year for which figures are available. It also said a realistic goal for infant mortality in the year 2000 was no more than seven deaths per 1,000 live births, improving on the rate of 10.5 infant deaths per 1,00 0 in 1986, the last year for which these figures are available. The new recommendations mark the federal government's second attempt to set health goals for the nation. The first set of goals established 226 specific objectives for American health to be reached by 1990. About a fourth of these goals definitely will not be met, and for the remaining one-fourth there is too little data to determine whether they have or not, said Dr. Michael McGinnis, deputy assistant secretary of Health and Human Services. "In some areas, we have been remarkably successful," McGinnis said. "For example, we have had very good success in controlling cardiovascular disease and from heart attacks and strokes. The successes have been unprecedented in modern medicine. "On the other hand, we are not making progress in reducing infant mortality in black populations. We are falling far short of the 1990 goals there." Not only is black infant mortality not declining, but health problems generally remain more severe in minority populations than in whites, McGinnis said. On average, minority group members are dying six years younger than whites during 1987. For that reason, the new recommendations also include special health goals for minority groups. "There is a much greater emphasis in the new goals on special target populations- Hispanics, blacks, American Indians, Alaskan natives," McGinnis said. "We have nearly 60,000 excess deaths among the black population annually." The 1990 goals had no recommendations concerning AIDS because the disease was unknown when the goals were drafted. But federal officials hope that by the year 2000 the number of new AIDS cases, which has risen dramatically every year, will have begun to fall. In addition, the federal officials are aiming to reduce the prevalence of infection with the AIDS virus among the two groups currently most likely to be infected- homosexual men and intravenous drug users. McGinnis said 20 to 50 percent of homosexual men, depending on where they live, currently are infected with the virus. Similarly, as many as half of all drug users in some cities are infected. Federal officials hope that infection rates in both groups can be lowered to 10 percent. McGinnis said the goals reflect not only the hopes of public health officials but current ability to control disease. "Realism was an important criterion of the effort. The groups who drafted these goals were specifically charged with being realistic in their efforts. These are things we should be able to achieve is apply ourselves and our resources in an effective way." * Origin: UNITEX --> Toward a United Species (1:107/501) --- Patt Haring | United Nations | FAX: 212-787-1726 patth@sci.ccny.cuny.edu | Information | BBS: 201-795-0733 patth@ccnysci.BITNET | Transfer Exchange | (3/12/24/9600 Baud) -=- Every child smiles in the same language. -=-