South Africa: South African Aids activists have hailed a new report that shows a big increase in the nation's mortality rate as proof that an Aids epidemic is sweeping the country.
The report, which has been repeatedly delayed since January 12th last by the government-established body, Statistics SA, provides details of the cause of all deaths recorded by the Department of Home Affairs between 1997 and 2003.
The "Mortality and causes of death in South Africa" report shows that HIV is one of the leading causes of mortality in the 15 to 49 age group. Other causes are TB, flu and pneumonia.
The report, based on information from nearly three million death-notification certificates, shows that in 1997 some 870 people died per day, and 1,370 in 2002 - which is an increase of 57 per cent.
Activists have long accused the South African government of being in denial over the scale of the problem.
Treatment Action Campaign spokesman Mr Mark Heywood said there had always been a row over the numbers of Aids-related deaths because of "the denial, which has support from the highest levels of government".
"The argument is that HIV doesn't cause Aids, and that there are no more people dying than before. But the state's SA report confirms what we have believed all along - that there has been a dramatic rise in mortality since 1996 in certain diseases and this is due to the Aids epidemic," said Mr Heywood.
Statistics in the report show that for the four years following 1997, a relatively small number of people were recorded to have officially died from Aids, with the figures ranging from 6,602 to just over 10,000. Misclassification of Aids-related deaths is often done at the request of families.