African Americans have made significant gains in life expectancy, and the mortality gap between white and black Americans has been cut in half since 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday. Deaths from heart disease, cancer and stroke declined sharply among blacks 65 and older, and in that age group, blacks now have a lower death rate than whites, the CDC said. Black life expectancy at birth is about 3½ years lower than that of whites. "My enthusiasm for these impressive gains in mortality is dampened by the stunning mortality gap between blacks and whites that remains in 2015," she wrote in an email. Read more:Life expectancy is up sharply for blacks and Hispanics; whites are laggingU.S. life expectancy declines for the first time since 1993A new divide in American death

Source: Washington Post May 02, 2017 17:58 UTC