PresidentDonald Trumphasproposed slashingthe National Institutes of Health budget by $1.2 billion by next Tuesday.
The life expectancy for the average American was 70.8 years in 1970.
More than 40 years later, in 2013, it grew to 78.8 years, according tothe CDC.
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Over that time period, the death rate also fell by 43 percent, according to2015 JAMA research.
In 1969, 1,279 of every 100,000 Americans died.
In 2013, only 730 of every 100,000 did.
The mortality rate for American infants has decreased over the last 40 years, according tothe CDC.
In 1960, 26 of every 1,000 American babies passed away in their first year of life.
In 2013, that rate dropped to 6 of every 1,000 babies.
NIH researchers studied reducing complications like premature births and neonatal mortality.
That’s because the agency’s research pushed medical providers to implement preventive measures likeHIV testing.
NIH research has contributed to the development of life-saving treatment for people who have overdosed.
And NIH-funded researchers worked with pharmaceutical providers to create a drug to treatopioid addiction, according toNIDA.
Cancerdeath rates have steadily declined over timeby about 1.5 percent each year.
NIH-backed improvements in vaccinations have also saved the lives of many Americans.
Vaccinations have also brought the rate of hepatitis B down by 80 percent since 1980, according tothe CDC.
This is thanks, at least in part, to NIH research about risk factors for teenage substance use.
HIV/AIDStreatments have improved significantly since the 1980s.
Then, it was common for people with HIV/AIDS to only live a few years after contracting the infection.
The mortality rate from motor accidents decreased by 39 percent between 1990 and 2010, according tothe CDC.
Treatments for burn survivors have also improved.
In the ’70s, people who sustained burns covering just 25 percent of their bodies almost always died.
NIH research has contributed to some major strides in medical advancement, including:
Feeling motivated to act?
There are plenty of ways to make your voice heard.
SELF’s resources onfinding activist opportunitiesandgetting involved in policy decisionsare great places to start.
Other organizations can help families in need accessaffordable childcare,job training, andmuch-needed foodandhousehold supplies.
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Also:7 Ways You Didn’t Know Obamacare Affected Your Daily Life
