People in B.C. are living longer and death rates from cancer and some other diseases are falling, according to the latest vital statistics report from the provincial government.
The 2010 report found life expectancy in B.C. continues to edge up and remains the highest in Canada at 81.7 years.
The leading cause of death in B.C. is cancer, but the statistics show death rates from the disease are falling, along with those from heart disease, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis, while mortality rates for chronic diseases like diabetes have crept up.
"It's very encouraging to see lower mortality rates for cancer and heart disease in British Columbia. It's my hope that even more people will be able to make choices that will reduce the risk factors for chronic disease, such as more exercise and eating reasonably well," said the Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Perry Kendall.
The government says the death rate from HIV is the lowest since 1995 and B.C. is the only province showing a consistent decline in the disease, which is credited in part to the research and treatment efforts of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS.
More than half of births in 2010, 51.3 per cent, were to mothers aged 30 to 39.
The number of deaths during the year was 31,143, down slightly from the previous year, and the oldest person to die was 108.
On a typical day in B.C. in 2010, there were 119 births, 86 deaths and 61 marriages.
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