|
|
 |
One third of early deaths due to HIV/AIDS - MRC study
Gustav Thiel. 15 May 2003. The Mercury. Republished courtesy of Independent Newspapers (Pty) Ltd.
|
About 39 percent of premature deaths in South Africa in 2000 were a result of HIV or AIDS. This is according to the Medical Research Council, which has released its initial estimates from the first Burden Of Disease (BOD) study undertaken in this country.
The study has been conducted in 35 other countries and is an attempt to provide broad scientific quantification for the years of life lost by each person who dies prematurely through a variety of diseases.
More than half of all premature deaths in 2000 could be attributed to HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis, homicide and road traffic accidents.
The study highlighted that without an intervention to extend the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS, the total premature mortality burden "can be expected to double by 2010".
It was estimated that in 2000 between 250 and 600 people died of the disease every day in South Africa, but the wide margin existing in this estimate illustrated the lack of accurate death statistics in South Africa.
The MRC's Burden Of Disease Research Unit head, Debbie Bradshaw, said: "The government is urged to finalise and implement its plan for providing treatment to those who are HIV-positive and would benefit from it."
The study's initial estimates found that HIV/AIDS deaths contributed to 2 148 080 years of life lost in 2000.
Homicide-related deaths accounted for 756 483 years of life lost, tuberculosis 380 789 and road traffic accidents 344 868.
The study listed the top 20 causes of mortality in the country which included lower respiratory infections, diarrhoeal diseases, low birth weight, heart diseases, strokes, suicides and protein and energy malnutrition.
"Emerging chronic diseases associated with affluence will increasingly contribute to mortality rates in the country," said Bradshaw.
"There is a clear need for stronger health promotion and disease prevention strategies in South Africa."
She said their study should aid the process of "turning incomplete data into information that policy makers can use".
The study found that no complete death statistics existed in the country and that, while 1996 was the last year when "full" cause of death data was available, 14,8 percent of these deaths were described as "ill-defined" since the exact cause was not known and 17,1 percent happened due to "undetermined injuries".
The study found that these factors made it "impossible to utilise the cause of death data on face value".
For the study the MRC used the available statistics, according to Bradshaw, to "derive estimates of mortality" and then took the ages at which deaths occurred to identify causes of premature mortality. |
| Was this article helpful to you? |
 ?0%???? ?0%
|
|
Back
|
|
|
|
