Between 2006 and 2007, mortality rates declined significantly for eight of the 15 leading causes of death. Declines were observed for influenza and pneumonia (8

Between 2006 and 2007, mortality rates declined significantly for eight of the 15 leading causes of death. Declines were observed for influenza and pneumonia (8.4 percent), homicide (6.5 percent), accidents (5 percent), heart disease (4.7 percent), stroke (4.6 percent), diabetes (3.9 percent), hypertension (2.7 percent), and cancer (1.8 percent). This is reported as good news, but in itself it doesn't tell us much. People still have to die of something, and if they're not dying of one thing they're dying of another. If a plague of crocodiles started eating all the first-born sons then this would show up in the statistics as a huge drop in the cancer mortality rate, but it probably wouldn't be good news.