MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report
-
MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. · Sep 2007
State-specific prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults and quitting among persons aged 18-35 years--United States, 2006.
Each year, cigarette smoking in the United States causes approximately 438,000 deaths and results in an estimated $167 billion in health-care costs plus lost productivity attributed to premature deaths. Although smoking cessation has major and immediate health benefits for persons of all ages, the benefit is greater the earlier in life a person quits. Persons who quit before the age of 35 years have a life expectancy similar to that of those who never smoked. ⋯ Virgin Islands (USVI) (range: 9.1%-28.6%). The majority of current smokers aged 18-35 years reported that they had attempted to quit smoking during the past year (median: 58.6%; range: 48.0% [Nevada] to 69.2% [New Mexico]), and the median proportion of ever smokers aged 18-35 years who had quit smoking was 34.0% (range: 27.0% [Louisiana] to 47.9% [Utah]). Effective, comprehensive tobacco-use prevention and control programs should be continued and expanded to further reduce smoking initiation by young persons and to encourage cessation as early in life as possible.
-
In 2000, countries represented by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa established a goal to reduce, by the end of 2005, measles mortality to 50% of the 506,000 deaths from measles estimated in 1999. Strategies adopted included strengthening routine vaccination, providing a second opportunity for measles vaccination through supplemental immunization activities (SIAs), monitoring disease trends, and improving measles case management. ⋯ A follow-up SIA, initially scheduled for July 2005, was postponed to 2006 to include concurrent distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated bednets (LLINs). This report documents progress made in reducing measles morbidity and mortality in Kenya and describes the consequences of a large measles outbreak, beginning in September 2005, on the integrated measles follow-up SIA.
-
MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. · Sep 2007
Suicide trends among youths and young adults aged 10-24 years--United States, 1990-2004.
In 2004, suicide was the third leading cause of death among youths and young adults aged 10-24 years in the United States, accounting for 4,599 deaths. During 1990-2003, the combined suicide rate for persons aged 10-24 years declined 28.5%, from 9.48 to 6.78 per 100,000 persons. However, from 2003 to 2004, the rate increased by 8.0%, from 6.78 to 7.32, the largest single-year increase during 1990-2004. ⋯ The results suggest that increases in suicide and changes in suicidal behavior might have occurred among youths in certain sex-age groups, especially females aged 10-19 years. Closer examination of these trends is warranted at federal and state levels. Where indicated, health authorities and program directors should consider focusing suicide-prevention activities on these groups to help prevent suicide rates from increasing further.