The number of deaths caused by homicide in the United States is at its lowest point in 50 years, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. government. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2010 list of the country's top 15 causes of death revealed two trends. Murders are down, and deaths from diseases such Alzheimer's and Parkinson's are rising as the population ages. According to the CDC, it was the first time since 1965 that homicide did not make the list. Homicide was replaced at number 15 by pneumonitis, which occurs when food or vomit goes down a person's windpipe and causes deadly damage to the lungs. The data revealed that the infant mortality rate also fell to an all-time low with 6.14 deaths per 1,000 births. The top causes of death continued to be heart disease and cancer, which accounted for half of the country's deaths in 2010. The U.S. government has kept a list of the top causes of death in the country since 1949. The report was drawn from a review of at least 98 percent of the death certificates filed in the United States in 2010. Historically, homicides have ranked fairly low on the list. The highest rank homicide has reached was tenth in 1989, and it reached that rank again from 1991 to 1993. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), murders have been declining nationally since 2006.
