Accurate cause-of-death (COD) data provides insight into the reasons that people die. This data is essential to inform public health policy, plan health services and improve interventions that address pressing public health challenges. A well-functioning Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system is the preferred source of valid and reliable COD information. This is particularly important for monitoring Sustainable Development Goals as they enable smaller area surveillance to ensure that no one is left behind.

The primary function of civil registration systems is to create and maintain legal documents proving the identity of individuals. Since these systems also provide official records of births and deaths, the statistics they produce are essential for understanding health status in countries and how it is changing.

South Africa has a well-established CRVS, but there are indications that the quality of COD data is poor. Of concern is the misclassification of HIV/AIDS deaths as other causes, the inaccuracy of injury-related deaths and the extent of unusable codes which does not provide sufficient information about the underlying cause of death. The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly highlighted shortcomings of the current CRVS system, which could not provide timely COD information, with limited access by the Department of Health to enable public health follow-up actions.

A recent study conducted by researchers from the South African Medical Research Council’s Burden of Disease Research Unit, undertook a rapid assessment to identify the current challenges related to the collection, reporting, and use of COD statistics in South Africa to identify how these may be addressed.

View the complete A call to action for cause-of-death reporting in South Africa: An assessment of cause-of-death data for public health use Policy Brief