From 1999 to 2014, the rate of Alzheimer's deaths increased by nearly 55 percent, according to the CDC's most recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
For the report, CDC researchers analyzed mortality data compiled in the CDC WONDER online database. In 1999, the rate of Alzheimer's deaths was 16.5 per 100,000 individuals. By 2014, this rate had increased to 25.4 deaths per 100,000, marking a 54.5 percent increase.
"This is a continuation of a trend that's been going on for quite some time ... This is not a surprise, but it's alarming," Keith Fargo, PhD, director of scientific programs at the Alzheimer's Association, told CBS News. "This is a tidal wave of Alzheimer's disease that is now upon us. We've been saying baby boomers are getting older and we have to be ready. Now it's here. It's here. And it's not going away unless we do something serious about it. Ultimately we want to eradicate this disease. That is possible."
To read the CDC's full report, click here.
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