Long-term trends in childhood infectious disease mortality rates.
OBJECTIVE
This study assessed long-term trends in US childhood infectious disease mortality rates (CIDMR).


METHODS
We calculated age-adjusted and age group-specific US CIDMR (1968-1996) by using data from the Compressed Mortality File (1968-1992, 1996) and Multiple Cause of Death Files (1993-1995) of the National Center for Health Statistics and English data for historical comparison (1861-1964).


RESULTS
US CIDMR declined continuously from 1968 to 1996, although the rate of decline slowed after 1974. Respiratory and central nervous system categories declined most; HIV-related deaths offset these declines somewhat.


CONCLUSIONS
CIDMR declined nearly 200-fold between 1861 and 1996, but no substantive improvement occurred after 1986.
DiLiberti
J H
JH
Department of Pediatrics, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Peoria 61637, USA. jhd@uic.edu
Jackson
C R
CR
D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D015981:Epidemiologic Factors; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology