Md. third highest in infectious disease

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Maryland has the third-highest rate of infectious disease in the nation, according to a comprehensive national health report released Monday by the United Health Foundation.

The study, which evaluated several key health indicators, including state health spending, clinical-care quality, and smoking, drinking and violent crime rates, found that Maryland and Virginia trail most states in two critical areas — infectious disease and infant mortality rates, though they have made some gains in the latter area.

While Maryland climbed four places to 28th this year in overall health ratings, the state has 37 cases of infectious disease for every 100,000 people, the third-worst rate in the nation and markedly higher than the national average of 22.5 cases. Only New York, at number 50, and Florida ranked worse.

Infectious diseases include a variety of illnesses, from HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases to flu.

United Health Foundation board member Dr. Reed Tuckson said Maryland’s low ranking may be partly the result of the state’s strong reporting system, but that a larger factor is Baltimore’s high HIV/AIDS rate and large concentration of the population in urban areas, where poverty is more prevalent.

Maryland also fell from 24th to 29th in the rankings in the number of children who receive standard immunizations, a key strategy for preventing disease.

“It’s certainly a contributing factor [to Maryland’s ranking]” said John Clymer, president of Partnership for Prevention, a nonprofit health policy organization based in D.C. “It makes no sense — immunizations are the cornerstone of public health, along with clean water. They work — it’s proven, we know it.”

Virginia ranked 22nd in overall health, down from 21st in 2006, and placed 29th in infectious disease rate.

Both Maryland and Virginia rank in the bottom half of the country when it comes to infant-mortality rates, which are a key indicator of the health of a population, though Maryland has improved significantly since last year.

Maryland ranks 33rd, up from 44th in 2006, and Virginia ranks 31st, up from 32nd in 2006.

Both Maryland and Virginia fared well in some important areas, including access to primary care and a low percentage of children in poverty.

The District was not ranked.

tluntz@dcexaminer.com

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