Life expectancy in the United States has increased to almost 78 years, the country's highest on record, amid a downturn in deaths from heart disease, cancer, and stroke, according to new federal estimates.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics said in a report that a child born in the United States in 2005 can expect to live 77.9 years, up from 77.8 in 2004 and continuing a rise dating back decades. U.S. life expectancy was 75.8 years in 1995 and 69.6 years in 1955.
While the numbers are better than they used to be, the United States sadly doesn't take as good care of its citizens as most other industrialized nations. The citizens of 41 other countries live longer than do U.S. citizens. The U.S. infant mortality rate is also higher than many other rich nations.
You can read the details at http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070912/ts_nm/lifespan_usa_dc.
