Declining child mortality in northern Malawi despite high rates of infection with HIV
A Jahn, S Floyd, AC Crampin, H Mvula, V Mwinuka, E Mwaiyeghele, N McGrath, B Zaba, PEM Fine & JR Glynn
Volume 88, Number 10, October 2010, 746-753
Table 2. Probable causes of death in 342 children under 15 years of age in Karonga district, Malawi, according to the demographic surveillance system, 2002–2006
| Probable cause of death | Boys |
Girls |
Boys and girls |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–11 mo |
1– 4 yr |
5–14 yr |
Total |
0–11 mo |
1– 4 yr |
5–14 yr |
Total |
0–11 mo |
1– 4 yr |
5–14 yr |
Total |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | ||||||||||||
| Communicable diseases | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HIV/AIDS | 12 | 10.3 | 8 | 14.3 | 8 | 32.0 | 28 | 14.2 | 8 | 10.1 | 15 | 28.3 | 4 | 30.8 | 27 | 18.6 | 20 | 10.3 | 23 | 21.1 | 12 | 31.6 | 55 | 16.1 | |||||||||||
| Tuberculosis or HIV/AIDS | 0 | – | 4 | 7.1 | 0 | – | 4 | 2.0 | 2 | 2.5 | 1 | 1.9 | 1 | 7.7 | 4 | 2.8 | 2 | 1.0 | 5 | 4.6 | 1 | 2.6 | 8 | 2.3 | |||||||||||
| Tuberculosis | 1 | 0.9 | 0 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 0.3 | |||||||||||
| Pneumonia | 15 | 12.9 | 4 | 7.1 | 2 | 8.0 | 21 | 10.7 | 17 | 21.5 | 3 | 5.7 | 1 | 7.7 | 21 | 14.5 | 32 | 16.4 | 7 | 6.4 | 3 | 7.9 | 42 | 12.3 | |||||||||||
| Malaria | 7 | 6.0 | 7 | 12.5 | 1 | 4.0 | 15 | 7.6 | 3 | 3.8 | 8 | 15.1 | 0 | – | 11 | 7.6 | 10 | 5.1 | 15 | 13.8 | 1 | 2.6 | 26 | 7.6 | |||||||||||
| Diarrhoea | 16 | 13.8 | 5 | 8.9 | 0 | – | 21 | 10.7 | 6 | 7.6 | 4 | 7.5 | 0 | – | 10 | 6.9 | 22 | 11.3 | 9 | 8.3 | 0 | 31 | 9.1 | ||||||||||||
| Neonatal sepsis | 12 | 10.3 | 0 | – | 0 | – | 12 | 6.1 | 8 | 10.1 | 0 | – | 0 | – | 8 | 5.5 | 20 | 10.3 | 0 | – | 0 | – | 20 | 5.8 | |||||||||||
| Acute febrile disease, nonspecific | 11 | 9.5 | 10 | 17.9 | 2 | 8.0 | 23 | 11.7 | 7 | 8.9 | 8 | 15.1 | 2 | 15.4 | 17 | 11.7 | 18 | 9.2 | 18 | 16.5 | 4 | 10.5 | 40 | 11.7 | |||||||||||
| Other | 3 | 2.6 | 3 | 5.4 | 3 | 12.0 | 9 | 4.6 | 1 | 1.3 | 1 | 1.9 | 0 | – | 2 | 1.4 | 4 | 2.1 | 4 | 3.7 | 3 | 7.9 | 11 | 3.2 | |||||||||||
| Subtotal | 77 | 66.4 | 41 | 73.2 | 16 | 64.0 | 134 | 68.0 | 52 | 65.8 | 40 | 75.5 | 8 | 61.5 | 100 | 69.0 | 129 | 66.2 | 81 | 74.3 | 24 | 63.2 | 234 | 68.4 | |||||||||||
| Noncommunicable diseases | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prematurity/low birth weight | 12 | 10.3 | 0 | – | 0 | – | 12 | 6.1 | 11 | 13.9 | 0 | – | 0 | – | 11 | 7.6 | 23 | 11.8 | 0 | – | 0 | – | 23 | 6.7 | |||||||||||
| Asphyxia/birth injury | 10 | 8.6 | 0 | – | 0 | – | 10 | 5.1 | 8 | 10.1 | 0 | – | 0 | – | 8 | 5.5 | 18 | 9.2 | 0 | – | 0 | – | 18 | 5.3 | |||||||||||
| Congenital disorders | 4 | 3.4 | 1 | 1.8 | 2 | 8.0 | 7 | 3.6 | 1 | 1.3 | 1 | 1.9 | 0 | – | 2 | 1.4 | 5 | 2.6 | 2 | 1.8 | 2 | 5.3 | 9 | 2.6 | |||||||||||
| Cardiovascular | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 7.7 | 1 | 0.7 | 0 | – | 0 | 1 | 2.6 | 1 | 0.3 | ||||||||||||
| Respiratory | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 1.9 | 0 | – | 1 | 0.7 | 0 | – | 1 | 0.9 | 0 | – | 1 | 0.3 | |||||||||||
| Cancer | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 1.9 | 0 | – | 1 | 0.7 | 0 | – | 1 | 0.9 | 0 | – | 1 | 0.3 | |||||||||||
| Other | 7 | 6.0 | 6 | 10.7 | 2 | 8.0 | 15 | 7.6 | 1 | 1.3 | 3 | 5.7 | 2 | 15.4 | 6 | 4.1 | 8 | 4.1 | 9 | 8.3 | 4 | 10.5 | 21 | 6.1 | |||||||||||
| Subtotal | 33 | 28.4 | 7 | 12.5 | 4 | 16.0 | 44 | 22.3 | 21 | 26.6 | 6 | 11.3 | 3 | 23.1 | 30 | 20.7 | 54 | 27.7 | 13 | 11.9 | 7 | 18.4 | 74 | 21.6 | |||||||||||
| External causes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accidental | 1 | 0.9 | 4 | 7.1 | 4 | 16.0 | 9 | 4.6 | 1 | 1.3 | 6 | 11.3 | 2 | 15.4 | 9 | 6.2 | 2 | 1.0 | 10 | 9.2 | 6 | 15.8 | 18 | 5.3 | |||||||||||
| Unknown intent | 0 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 4.0 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 1.3 | 0 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 0.7 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | – | 1 | 2.6 | 2 | 0.6 | |||||||||||
| Subtotal | 1 | 0.9 | 4 | 7.1 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 5.1 | 2 | 2.5 | 6 | 11.3 | 2 | 15.4 | 10 | 6.9 | 3 | 1.5 | 10 | 9.2 | 7 | 18.4 | 20 | 5.8 | |||||||||||
| Unknown | 5 | 4.3 | 4 | 7.1 | 0 | – | 9 | 4.6 | 4 | 5.1 | 1 | 1.9 | 0 | – | 5 | 3.4 | 9 | 4.6 | 5 | 4.6 | 0 | – | 14 | 4.1 | |||||||||||
| Total | 116 | 100 | 56 | 100 | 25 | 100 | 197 | 100 | 79 | 100 | 53 | 100 | 13 | 100 | 145 | 100 | 195 | 100 | 109 | 100 | 38 | 100 | 342 | 100 | |||||||||||
AIDS, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus.