The number of deaths in South
Africa increased by 57 percent in the five years ending in 2003, with
AIDS and related illnesses among the leading causes in adults, the
government said Friday. The rate is far lower than that reported by
world health groups. AIDS was the fifth most common natural cause of
death reported in South Africans aged 15-49 in 2001, the last year for
which detailed figures were included in the report by the state
statistical service. The AIDS virus accounted for more than 7,500 - or
3.8 percent - of deaths recorded in that age group. However, the
numbers of deaths are considerably fewer than those commonly cited by
the United Nations and World Health Organization, which say at least
600 South Africans of all ages die every day of AIDS-related causes.
Government officials acknowledged many AIDS deaths could have been
attributed to associated illnesses like tuberculosis, influenza and
pneumonia because of the stigma still associated with AIDS and the HIV
virus. TB, influenza and pneumonia accounted for 28.3 percent of deaths
in 15 to 49-year-olds in 2001. Together with cerebrovascular disease,
they also emerged as the leading causes of death overall. The number of
deaths associated with lifestyle diseases, including heart diseases and
diabetes, was also on the rise, the report said. Malnutrition rated
among the top 10 causes of death among children under 4. The data was
collected from more than 3 million death notification forms submitted
to the Department of Home Affairs between 1997 and 2003. The number of
reported deaths rose from 318,287 in 1998 to 499,268 in 2002. Only
percentage increases were given for 2003. [more] and [more]