Stats SA’€™s report shows that TB accounts for about 13% of registered deaths in the country. The report gives data on deaths that occurred in 2008 and those from 1997 to 2007. The trend shows that since 1997 the number of deaths has been increasing, but there are signs of decline from 2007. A 1.8% decline was observed between 2007 and 2008. Female mortality is declining at a higher rate than males. Deaths are also slowly decreasing for young adults between the ages of 20 and 34 years. Deputy Director-General for Population and Statistics at Stats SA, Kefiloe Masiteng, says their observations indicated an increase in the number of deaths after the age of 35.

‘€œWe looked at the percentage distribution of deaths by age and the year of death. We have high levels of infant and under 5 years of age mortality. We still have lesser deaths of younger adults and then, you see the peaks at 30 ‘€“ 34 and 35 ‘€“ 39. Percentage distribution by age and sex… we see that with males… once they go beyond that 30 to 34 (year age group), there are more men who are dying than women. Perhaps it talks to behavioural issues for males; the sex ratio depicts that over the years there have been more males dying than females’€, Masiteng said.

The report shows that Kwa-Zulu Natal had the most recorded deaths in the year 2007 to 2008, with more than 134  000 recorded deaths in that time-frame. Gauteng is second, with close to 120  000 deaths and the Eastern Cape rates third, with more than 80  000 deaths recorded. The Northern Cape recorded the lowest. Masiteng says this is attributed to the density of the population in the different provinces.

‘€œThe higher proportion of deaths in the country is caused by what we call natural causes. In the year 2008 you find that 91.1% of the deaths are caused by natural causes, while about 8.9% of deaths in the country are caused by non-natural causes of death. But we also looked at how the causes of deaths play themselves (out) across the age groups. When you reach the ages of 5 ‘€“ 9, you have a bigger number of non-natural causes of deaths into the teens and the early ages of adulthood. So, the non-natural causes of deaths are higher at younger ages as compared to older people’€, she said.

The report outlines the numbers of deaths between the non natural and natural causes. It shows that the top three underlying natural causes of death are TB, pneumonia and some forms of intestinal disease.

‘€œSince 1997 TB has been the leading cause of death in the country, followed by influenza, pneumonia and intestinal infectious diseases. In 1997 HIV was ranked number 9, but when we look at 2008, HIV has moved from number 9 to number 7. So, we are starting to see more deaths… Maybe, it’€™s reporting… but we are starting to see HIV moving two steps higher in terms of the leading causes of deaths.

Some of the people who do epidemiological research and burden of disease would be able to use this information and relate some of the diseases like TB and pneumonia and how they have higher chances of being related to causes of deaths linked to HIV’€.

Although TB and pneumonia are the biggest killers in the country, Masiteng says there has been a decline of deaths caused by the two diseases in the years 2007 and 2008. She says this could be attributed to access to treatment. This has given rise to other diseases becoming prominent causes of death.

‘€œFor TB, there has been a 2% decrease for males and 3.5% for females. It might be (because of) treatment issues. There has also been a decline for influenza and pneumonia deaths – 8% for males and about 9.3% decline for females. But having seen the decline, we also start to see there are other set of diseases that have seen some increases such as intestinal infectious diseases, other forms of heart diseases. HIV disease is seen to be increasing – 19.6% for males and 4.8% for females. Hypertensive disease has also increased – more for females. And other viral diseases have also increased amongst women at about 19.8%’€, says Masiteng.

Non-natural causes of deaths are not related to illness. The report states that these include assault, road accidents, external causes of accidental injury and intentional self harm. It also says that there is a higher percentage of deaths among males than females due to non-natural causes. Those in the age groups of 0- 14 years and 50 ‘€“ 64 recorded a higher death rate due to road accidents.