The World Health Organization, a United Nations agency, reported today that Israel was the only country among 16 surveyed which had a drop rather than an increase in deaths from cirrhosis of the liver.
The report said that only France among the countries had not shown an increase in such deaths. Deaths from the disease in Israel in 1954 were 4.7 per 100,000 males and 2.6 per 100,000 females. In 1958, the Israel rates were 3.8 for men and 2.2 for women. The French rate remained unchanged in that period.
The countries were Ceylon, Israel, Japan, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Britain, Scotland, Sweden, and Switzerland.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.