Chart shows the U.S. life expectancy at birth since 1929;; 2c x 2 inches; 96.3 mm x 50.8 mm (Jake O'connell - AP)
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By David Brown
Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, June 12, 2008; Page A04
Americans' life expectancy reached a record high of 78.1 years in 2006, with disparities among ethnic groups and between the sexes generally narrowing, according to government data released yesterday.
The death rates from most diseases went down, with influenza mortality falling steeply and AIDS mortality marking its 10th straight year of decline. Infant mortality in 2006 also fell from the previous year, continuing a trend stretching back nearly 50 years. More
