HSE report - No room for complacency on health

The Health Service Executive report published yesterday might be summarised as much done with a lot left to do. Life expectancy in Ireland is at its highest level ever, but more could be done through education.

The figures show a marked improvement over the decades – from 58 years in the mid-1920s to 76.8 years for males and 81.6 years for females in 2006. Life expectancy in Ireland is now higher than in the European Union as a whole. But there is no room for complacency, because the Irish rate is slightly lower than the 77.1 years for males and 82.7 years for females in the 15 countries that previously made up the EU.

The Irish population is at its highest level since 1861. Mortality among infants and children has fallen below the EU average. Much of that reduction is attributed to the improved control of infectious diseases. The effectiveness of vaccination was demonstrated by the falling level of vaccine-preventable diseases.