US life expectancy has crashed to its lowest level since 1996 — to just 76.4 years — because of the fentanyl epidemic and Covid crisis, official data has revealed.

Data released today from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that life expectancy fell for the second consecutive year in 2021, down from 78.8 years in 2019 and 77.0 years in 2020.

It is now at its lowest level since 1996, when it was 76.1 years.

Covid was the third-leading cause of death for the second year in a row in 2021, and a five-fold rise in drug overdose deaths over the past decade has also contributed to the decline.

Life expectancy at birth for both sexes in 2021 is 76.4 years — its lowest level since 1996 when it was 76.1 years. Life expectancy for men has dropped more than women between 2021 and 2020 — male life expectancy by 0.7 years and females by 0.6

Life expectancy at birth for both sexes in 2021 is 76.4 years — its lowest level since 1996 when it was 76.1 years. Life expectancy for men has dropped more than women between 2021 and 2020 — male life expectancy by 0.7 years and females by 0.6

Life expectancy at birth for both sexes in 2021 is 76.4 years — its lowest level since 1996 when it was 76.1 years. Life expectancy for men has dropped more than women between 2021 and 2020 — male life expectancy by 0.7 years and females by 0.6

A total of 3,464,231 deaths were registered in the US in 2021. The 10 leading causes of death accounted for 74.5 percent of all US deaths in 2021. Unintentional injuries includes drug overdoses

A total of 3,464,231 deaths were registered in the US in 2021. The 10 leading causes of death accounted for 74.5 percent of all US deaths in 2021. Unintentional injuries includes drug overdoses

A total of 3,464,231 deaths were registered in the US in 2021. The 10 leading causes of death accounted for 74.5 percent of all US deaths in 2021. Unintentional injuries includes drug overdoses

Its highest point was 78.9 years in 2014. Before the pandemic, in 2019, life expectancy was nearing that level again.

The Covid crisis caused the biggest yearly drop in life expectancy in 2020 since World War II.

Heart disease was still the top causes of US deaths, followed by cancer. Covid caused over 4 million deaths in 2021 — up almost 20 percent from the 350,831 deaths it racked up in the first year of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, illicit versions of fentanyl have replaced heroin in many markets, fueling the increase in overdose deaths.

In the CDC’s report, drug overdoses are included in unintentional injuries — which has been the fourth leading cause of death in the past two years.

Almost 107,000 people died of a drug overdose last year, ramping up the age-adjusted death rate for overdoses 50 percent over the past two years.

Teen deaths from overdosing on fentanyl (grey line)  have tripled since the Covid pandemic began (dotted line between 2019 and 2020). Scientists say this may be linked to the synthetic opioid being mixed with other drugs such as cocaine and heroin

Teen deaths from overdosing on fentanyl (grey line)  have tripled since the Covid pandemic began (dotted line between 2019 and 2020). Scientists say this may be linked to the synthetic opioid being mixed with other drugs such as cocaine and heroin

Teen deaths from overdosing on fentanyl (grey line)  have tripled since the Covid pandemic began (dotted line between 2019 and 2020). Scientists say this may be linked to the synthetic opioid being mixed with other drugs such as cocaine and heroin

The official death toll due to Covid-19 per the CDC is nearly 1.1 million, but that does not include associated deaths such as fatal overdoses during lockdowns

The official death toll due to Covid-19 per the CDC is nearly 1.1 million, but that does not include associated deaths such as fatal overdoses during lockdowns

The official death toll due to Covid-19 per the CDC is nearly 1.1 million, but that does not include associated deaths such as fatal overdoses during lockdowns

Drug overdose deaths among US teens doubled from 2019 to 2021 — even as the use of illicit substances declined. Deaths caused by fentanyl alone increased 182 percent.

Life expectancy dropped less among black people than white people in 2021, partly reflecting the higher toll of Covid on minorities at the start of the pandemic.

The life expectancy for black people in the US was 70.8 years last year, whereas for white people it was 76.4.

To calculate life expectancy, CDC used a method first implemented in 2008.

It uses life tables made from mortality statistics, which estimate how many more years a group of people who are currently at a particular age can expect to live if the mortality patterns in a given year remain the same for the rest of the lives.

Officials warned that many US teens are dying after ingesting drugs like cocaine, Adderall or Xanax that are contaminated with fentanyl. They also warned that social media platforms have become a new marketplace for illicit drugs.

The nation’s drug overdose crisis has struck everyone, with a record 107,622 Americans dying of a drug overdose last year. More than 70 percent of deaths were caused by synthetic opioid like fentanyl.

For an overdose-specific report, CDC officials gathered overdose data from 32 states between July 2019 and December 2021. These states account for more than 75 percent of drug overdose deaths.

Across the entire period, 2,231 teen overdose deaths were recorded. Just over 83 percent, 1,871 total, were caused by illicit fentanyl.

The CDC warned that these overdoses are nearly-always accidental. Teens will purchase counterfeit pills and drugs that are tainted by the synthetic opioid. 

More than two-thirds of the fentanyl deaths, 1,313, occurred when a person used a non-opioid drug contaminated with it.

7,000 more Americans than usual have died every WEEK from the knock-on effect of pandemic restrictions this year, figures suggest 

Seven thousand more Americans than usual died every week this year even as Covid-19 faded into the background, officials say.

It suggests more people are dying as a result of the knock-on effects of lockdowns, hospital closures and other curbs brought in during the pandemic.

The CDC said it anticipates total yearly deaths to be 13 per cent higher than the 3.2 million recorded in 2019, the final normal year before Covid-19 hit.

 Covid-19 – which had killed roughly 260,000 Americans this year by Dec. 14 – is on track to be the third biggest killer this year, after heart disease and cancer.

While lockdowns and business closures have become a thing of the past as the pandemic has ebbed, they have left an indelible mark on American society.

Heart disease deaths have tended to surge in tandem with Covid deaths – in part because the virus worsens the underlying condition and takes a toll on your heart, increasing the risk of contracting heart disease.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk

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