Violence top cause of death in Gauteng

Just under one third of recorded non-natural deaths in Gauteng are caused by violence, the SA Medical Research Council(MRC) said.

Violence and homicide accounted for 32.4 percent of non-natural deaths caused by injury, with transport second at 28.7 percent and suicide third at 11.3 percent.

The figures were part of a presentation on fatal injuries in Gauteng last year, an initiative by MRC and the University of Johannesburg, supported by the department of health.

Of 10 528 non-natural deaths in Gauteng where the external cause was known, firearms were the top cause of death with 1 630 at 15.5%, followed by pedestrian injury at 12.7% and sharp objects resulted in 1 091 deaths at 10.4% and blunt force 1 064.

In youth aged 15 and 29 years, adults (30-44 years) and older adults aged 45-59 years, firearms were the leading causes of death.

Injuries were the second leading cause of death in South Africa, behind HIV.

The figures were based on 11,329 non-natural deaths registered at nine medico-legal laboratories in Gauteng.

source - www.timeslive.co.za/