Report Says AIDS Is South Africa's Leading Cause of Death

A medical report has found that AIDS is the leading cause of death in South Africa. About 40 percent of South Africans ages 15 to 49 who died last year died of AIDS-related illnesses, the South African Medical Council said in a report obtained by the Sunday Times. The report by a government-funded institute has yet to be officially released, and its researchers refused comment.

If the epidemic goes unchecked, the number of AIDS-related deaths could amount to twice the number of all other causes of death in the country combined and could bring population growth to a halt, the report said. President Thabo Mbeki, who has been vilified by activists for courting the views of fringe theorists who deny the existence of AIDS, recently ordered a review of health policies and spending on the basis of 1995 mortality statistics. The order was contained in a letter to Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang that included World Health Organization statistics showing HIV accounted for just 2.2 percent of deaths in South Africa in 1995. A spokesperson for Mbeki declined to comment on the South African Medical Research Council's report. The health ministry had no immediate comment, but said the report was part of a larger government initiative to improve mortality figures, especially those related to HIV/AIDS.

Back to other CDC news for September 17, 2001

Previous Updates