By fighting HIV/AIDS with antiretroviral medications in rural South Africa in over 100,000 people, a new study reveals that the life expectancy for the entire region increased by more than 11 years. Impressive.

I’ve always said, when you save the young people with clean water, vaccines, and antibiotics, you can add decades to the life expectancy of a population. When you treat a population with modern western medicine (Lipitor and surgeries), you add a few years.

Life expectancy in the US:

1880 to 1960: +31 years

1960 to today: + 7 years

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