By Betsy Scheinbart
The 1999 death rate in Queens was lower than that of the other boroughs, according to a summary of vital statistics released by the city Department of Health in January.
The city’s total population, as of April 1, 1999, was listed as 7,322,564, and the death rate, or number of deaths per 1,000 residents, at 8.5, a slight increase from 1998, when the rate was 8.3, the lowest in city history.
The 1999 death rate for the city was much lower than any year prior to 1998, but a graph on the cover of the Health Department report clearly shows that without the impact of the human immunodeficiency virus known as HIV, the rate could have been closer to 8.
HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, was the leading cause of death for New York City residents 25 to 44 years of age, according to the summary in 1999.
The population of Queens as of April 1, 1999 was listed as 1,951,598 and a total of 14,926 residents died that year, a rate of 7.6. In Manhattan, the death rate was 7.8, in the Bronx, 8.3, in Brooklyn, 8.0, and in Staten Island, 9.0.
There is more good news for Queens, where HIV caused far fewer deaths than in the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. Staten Island had the lowest HIV death rate of the five boroughs, but less than 12 percent of the five boroughs’ 2,020 HIV deaths occurred in Queens.
The leading cause of death in Queens and all of New York City for 1999 was heart disease. In fact, heart disease was responsible for nearly half the deaths in Queens in 1999.
Cancer was another major cause of death throughout the city. More than a fifth of the deaths in Queens — 3,261 — were attributed to the disease. Cancer of the lung and respiratory system claimed 771 lives, colon cancer killed 413, and 296 women died of breast cancer. Several other kinds of cancer were less prevalent.
In 1999, 96.17 percent of the deaths in Queens were attributed to natural causes, which included heart disease, cancer, HIV, and other diseases, regardless of how they were contracted. External causes of death, in contrast, are not health- related.
Among the external causes of death in Queens, suicide was the most prevalent. In fact, of the 572 deaths in Queens due to external causes, only 114, or 20 percent, of those were homicides for a rate of 5.9 per 1,000 residents.
In Manhattan, the homicide rate was 6.9, with 103 murders, in the Bronx 11.0 with 133 killed, and in Brooklyn, 11.9, with 273 victims. Only Staten Island had fewer than Queens, with 20 and a rate of 5.3.
Queens and Manhattan were the only boroughs to have a higher suicide rate than homicide rate. Queens did have the most deaths caused by accidental falls with 118, and 102 deaths from automobile accidents as well as 84 deaths from accidental gun injury.
The Health Department designated five heath center districts in Queens and calculated death rates and causes of death for those regions. Of the five, Maspeth-Forest Hills had the highest death rate, with 9.5 deaths per 1,000 residents, followed by Jamaica West at 8.3, Flushing at 7.8, Jamaica East at 7.2, Astoria at 6.9, and finally, Corona at 5.9.
The department also analyzed the borough by community of residence, which corresponds to community boards. The highest death rate was in District 14, which includes the neighborhoods of Arverne, Bayswater, Belle Harbor, Breezy Point, Broad Channel, Edgemere, Far Rockaway, Hammels, Neponsit, Rockaway Park, and Roxbury.
District 14 had the highest rates of death attributed to diseases like influenza (the flu), pneumonia, and chronic lower respiratory disease. Accidents with and without poisonous substances also caused the highest death rates in District 14.
The lowest rate of death occurred in District 4, which includes Corona and Elmhurst.
Heart disease and cancer were the top two killers in all of Queens, but the impact of other diseases and external factors varied from district to district.
The HIV death rate was highest in District 12, including Jamaica, South Jamaica, Hollis, St. Albans, and Springfield Gardens. That district also saw the most homicides and the most deaths from diabetes.
The suicide rate was highest in District 5, which covers Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village, Liberty Park, and Ridgewood. That district also had the lowest homicide rate.
Reach reporter Betsy Scheinbart by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 154.
