The turnaround reverses decades of falling mortality rates achieved through better medical care and lifestyle choices that continue to improve public health in other groups in the US and in other nations around the world.
Late last month, the UN's first cholera envoy, Pedro Medrano, said that falling mortality rates do not signify the end of the "silent emergency" because a cholera epidemic can ebb and wane and come back stronger as the bacterium mutates.
Stable or falling mortality alongside rapidly increasing incidence suggests substantial gains in survival.
The consequences of injuries and fractures due to falls (mortality, hospitalizations, disability, and institutionalization) increase with age.
While cold weather is associated with increased winter time deaths, it is unlikely to explain the seasonal pattern of rising and falling mortality rates.
Differentials have been identified in many populations and are increasing in many industrialised countries despite falling mortality rates overall [ 4, 5].
It shows falling mortality trends for men and women in an increasing number of countries despite persistent differences between the sexes and specific regions in Europe.
We have also previously shown that the population structure changed considerably over this period, reflecting changing epidemic patterns and generally falling mortality rates (10).
The incidence pattern may relate to Hong Kong's socio-economic developmental history, while falling mortality trends are, most likely, due to improvements in survival from treatment advancement and improved health service delivery.
