1,001 Facts That Will Scare the S#*t Out of You: The Ultimate Bathroom Reader (40 page)

279

FACT :
Tennessee’s state health department reports that the 2006
infant mortality there surpassed the national rate by over 31 percent
, with the black infant death rate over twice as high as the white infant death rate.
See? Even babies don’t want to live there.

Kim Krisberg, “U.S. Lagging Behind Many Other Nations on Infant Mortality Rates: Healthy Behavior, Healthier Babies,” The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association, February 2009,
www.apha.org
.

280

FACT :
Ten percent of U.S. adults eighteen and older—or about 24 million people—experienced
serious psychological distress in 2008
, for which less than half received mental health services.
That’s where liquor comes in.

“Question of the Month: What Percentage of U.S. Adults Experienced Serious Psychological Distress in the Past Year?” The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association, February 2009,
www.apha.org
.

281

FACT :
Mental health concerns are one of
Americans’ top reasons for seeking medical treatment
. Depression and other mental problems prompted 156 million of us to visit doctors, clinics, and hospitals in 2005.
And twice that many to visit liquor stores.

“Question of the Month: What Percentage of U.S. Adults Experienced Serious Psychological Distress in the Past Year?” The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association, February 2009,
www.apha.org
.

282

FACT :
Poisoning was
the second most common cause of deadly injury
in the United States in 2004, following vehicular crashes.
What if you are poisoned and then crash your car and die? I bet those are hard to categorize.

“QuickStats: Death Rates from Poisoning, by State—United States, 2004,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, September 14, 2007, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
http://wonder.cdc.gov
.

283

FACT : Nearly 70 percent
of poisoning deaths in 2004 were ruled accidental. Another 19 percent were suicides, while the rest were categorized as homicides or undetermined.
What some call accidental is really just Darwinism at work—cleaning out the gene pool and what not.

“Question of the Month: “What is the second leading cause of death by injury in the United States?” The Nation’s Health, May 2008,
www.apha.org
.

284

FACT :
A December 2008 report by Trust for America’s Health warns that
budget cuts could stymie our nation’s preparedness for emergencies
. The report was issued within days of an independent commission on weapons of mass destruction’s warning about the likelihood of a nuclear or biological attack on America within the next five years.
Here’s the good news: I just saved some money on my car insurance.

Teddi Dineley Johnson, “Budget Cuts Threaten Nation’s Public Health Preparedness: Report Calls Biological Attack Likely,” The Nation’s Health, February 2009,
www.apha.org
.

285

FACT :
Tuberculosis (TB) is among
the most widespread and frequently fatal infectious diseases
in the world. TB is caused by
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
, which infects an estimated one-third of the world’s population.
TB also stands for Tampa Bay and their NFL team, the Buccaneers, whose players are among the most fatal to your fantasy football team.

“Plan to Combat Extensively Drug Resistant Tuberculosis,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, February 13, 2009,
www.cdc.gov
.

286

FACT :
From 1985–1992,
the United States experienced an unprecedented TB resurgence
, accompanied by a substantial number of patients who did not respond to traditional treatment and died. Doctors soon determined that these individuals had multi-drug-resistant TB, a new strain of the disease.
TB or not TB? That was the question.

“Plan to Combat Extensively Drug Resistant Tuberculosis,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, February 13, 2009,
www.cdc.gov
.

287

FACT :
From 2005 to 2006, age-adjusted death rates for diabetes declined over 5 percent for whites and blacks. But
rates for black males have generally increased
, now surpassing rates for black females.

I always pronounced it “dia-bee-tees,” but then I heard that old guy on the TV commercial call it “dia-beetus,” and now I just don’t know what to believe anymore.

M.P. Heron and others, “Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2006,” National Vital Statistics Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, June 11, 2008,
www.cdc.gov
.