For Immediate Release
April 6, 2006

Contact: Howard Sutter
 (714) 834-2178

Orange County Health Status Profile Shows Improvement in Key Categories

(Santa Ana) –  Reductions in the age-adjusted death rates for lung cancer and coronary heart disease, along with a continuing reduction in the reported incidence of AIDS are among the highlights included in the latest Health Status Profile for Orange County.

The report, released annually during Public Health Week by the California Department of Health Services, tracks the county’s progress toward achieving health status indicators, including the national Healthy People 2010 objectives. “Orange County has already achieved the Healthy People 2010 objectives for reducing death rates due to all types of cancer collectively and lung cancer specifically,” said Acting Health Officer Dr. Hildy Meyers. “While these are important achievements, there are other areas in which Orange County residents can still make significant improvements in their health.”

The report offers many comparisons for a three-year period from 2002-2004 to the prior period of 1999-2001. It shows that age-adjusted death rates for coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and female breast cancer all decreased in the latest three-year period. The reported incidence of AIDS decreased 20.6% with a case rate of 8.1 cases per 100,000 people age 13 years and older, and the incidence of tuberculosis decreased 13.3% to 7.8 cases per 100,000.

Among the categories showing an increase was the reported incidence of Chlamydia, a sexually transmitted infection, which had a 7.6% increase in the case rate during the latest three year period. Increases were also noted in the percentage of low birthweight infants, deaths due to motor vehicle accidents and in drug-induced deaths. The complete County Health Status Profile is found on the California Department of Health Services website at www.dhs.ca.gov/hisp/chs/OHIR/reports/healthstatusprofiles.

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