Death Rates Drop For AIDS, Cancer

New data released from the California Department of Public Health shows that the state is making advances in reducing the death rate from cancer, AIDS and heart disease.

However, the granular data shows that there is a distinct difference in the death rates between regions of the state. In many rural counties in the far north of the state and in economically distressed areas such as San Bernardino County, Californians die at a significant higher rate.

Nevertheless, overall progress has been made in rolling back fatalities from AIDS and cancer.

According to the survey, the death rates for all cancers between 2012 and 2014 was 146.5 per 100,000 population, down from 151 per 100,000 between 2011-13, a drop of slightly more than 3%. The mortality rate for lung cancer dropped much further, down 12%.

Among the significant changes:

• The age-adjusted death rate for heart disease dropped nearly 12%

• The incidence of AIDS dropped 28% during the same period, including a 37% drop in San Francisco, although its incidence rate remains above the statewide average

• Births to teen mothers  dropped by more than 25%

• The rates of tuberculosis, which has been making a comeback in some areas of the U.S., decreased nearly 11%

• The infant mortality rate dropped among all demographic groups, including a drop among African-Americans by nearly 13%, and among Asian/Pacific Islanders by 11%

“The improvements are encouraging and show how far we’ve come,” said CDPH Director Karen Smith, M.D. “Despite the achievements, it’s important to remember there are areas, especially in chronic conditions, where we have opportunities to do better. We also need to ensure that all communities show improvement so we can truly make California the healthiest state in the nation.”

However, there were also some reversals. Rates of the sexually transmitted diseases gonorrhea and chlamydia rose. For gonorrhea, the incidence among males between the ages of 15 and 44 rose by 54% and among females by 35%.

Meanwhile, death rates among Californians remain highly stratified depending on which part of the state they live. The statewide average age-adjusted death rate was 619.6 per 100,000 between 2012 and 2014, down from 641.1 per 100,000 during the 2011-2013 reporting period.

However, in rural Lake County, the death rate was nearly 919 per 100,000, close to 50% higher than the statewide average.

Many of the counties in rural Northern California and in the San Joaquin Valley had higher than average death rates. However, several counties in the region, including Colusa and El Dorado Counties, had death rates well below the statewide average.

Both San Bernardino and Riverside Counties were the only regions in Southern California with higher than average death rates, of 754.5 and 647.3, respectively. 

San Mateo County had the lowest death rate for an urban county, at 496.3 per 100,000, closely followed by Santa Clara and San Francisco Counties. Los Angeles County, the state's most populous, had a death rate of 585.1 per 100,000. San Diego County's rate was 605.3 per 100,000.