Tuberculosis remains SA’s single largest contributor to death

Tuberculosis remains the leading cause of natural death in South Africa according to a report released by Statistics South Africa on Tuesday, 15 June 2021.

Statistics South Africa released the top ten leading causes of natural death for the year 2018. The data is based on death notification forms maintained by the Department of Home Affairs. Stats SA said that deaths due to COVID-19 as these will be published after the 2020 processing cycle.

TOP TEN NATURAL CAUSES OF DEATH IN SOUTH AFRICA

According to the report, the highest number of deaths that occurred in 2018 were among those aged 65–69 years (8,4%), while the lowest number was observed among those aged 5–9 and 10–14 years (0,6% and 0,8%, respectively).

Tuberculosis (TB) remained the main leading cause of death in the three-year period (2016–2018), although the proportion of deaths due to TB declined in the three-year period from 6,5% in 2016 to 6,0% in 2018.

Diabetes mellitus remained the second leading underlying cause of death in the three-year period, although the proportions of death due to diabetes mellitus increased consistently over the three years. The top ten underlying natural causes of death represented nearly 44% of all deaths in 2018.

The top ten leading underlying natural causes of death in 2018 were:

• tuberculosis
• diabetes mellitus
• cerebrovascular diseases
• other forms of heart disease
• human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease
• hypertensive diseases
• influenza and pneumonia
• Ischaemic heart diseases
• chronic lower respiratory diseases
• and malignant neoplasms of digestive organs.

According to TBFACTS.ORG, TB continues to be a disease of major importance in South Africa. An estimated 360,000 South Africans became ill with TB in 2019, and an estimated 58,000 people died from TB.¹

“The very high number of people with HIV in South Africa is increasing the number of people with active TB disease. Of the 58,000 people estimated to have died, an estimated 36,000 were HIV positive. TB continues to be the single largest contributor to death in South Africa. There is more about the relationship between HIV and TB.

“As well as being driven by HIV, the TB burden is also driven by poor living conditions and late presentation to health facilities.”

The report, titled “Mortality and causes of death in South Africa: Findings from death notification, 2018”, provides information on levels, trends and patterns in mortality and cause-of-death statistics by socio-demographic and geographic characteristics.

You can read the full report here

READ: These are the top ten causes of natural death in South Africa