Emergence of a peak in early infant mortality due to HIV/AIDS in South Africa.

Objectives: South Africa has among the highest levels of HIV prevalence in the world. Our objectives are to describe the distribution of South African infant and child mortality by age at fine resolution, to identify any trends over recent time and to examine these trends for HIV-associated and non HIV-associated causes of mortality.

Methods: A retrospective review of vital registration data was conducted.

Making COD statistics useful for public health at local level in the city of Cape Town: utilidad para la salud pública a nivel local en Ciudad del Cabo.

Objective: To review the quality of the coding of the cause of death (COD) statistics and assess the mortality information needs of the City of Cape Town.

Methods: Using an action research approach, a study was set up to investigate the quality of COD information, the accuracy of COD coding and consistency of coding practices in the larger health subdistricts. Mortality information needs and the best way of presenting the statistics to assist health managers were explored.

Initial burden of disease estimates for South Africa, 2000.

Background: This paper describes the first national burden of disease study for South Africa. The main focus is the burden due to premature mortality, i.e.

South African cause-of-death profile in transition--1996 and future trends.

This paper describes the South African cause-of-death profile in 1996, the latest year for which routine data are available. Underreporting of deaths, misclassification of causes and HIV/AIDS make face value interpretation of reported cause-of-death data difficult. Changes in subsequent years due to HIV/AIDS are considered using model projections.