Editorial Board
Better Death Records Can Lead to Longer Life
This article is for subscribers only.
Here’s a morbid thought atop a morbid thought: Two in three deaths worldwide -- some 35 million a year -- go unregistered. And in many cases when deaths are recorded, reliable information on what caused them is lacking.
Why does this matter? Without such records, public-health authorities can’t tell enough about what’s killing people to minimize the dangers they face.