CNN: Drug overdoses, suicides cause drop in 2017 US life expectancy; CDC director calls it a ‘wakeup call’

Due to increased deaths from drug overdoses and suicides, the CDC reports that life expectancy in the United States has declined from 2016 to 2017. The estimate of how long a person born in 2017 can expect to live in the U.S. is 78.6 years, a decrease of 0.1 year from 2016, as reported by government statisticians. Deaths from overdose reached a new high in 2017, topping 70,000, while the suicide rate increased by 3.7%. The 10 leading causes of death, however, have remained the same. Dr. Robert Redfield, CDC director, called the trend tragic and troubling.

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