Newly published statistics from South Africa confirm that tuberculosis is the country’s biggest cause of death.

The Statistics SA organisation said, “Other diseases that appeared as leading were influenza and pneumonia; intestinal infectious diseases; other diseases of the respiratory system; ischaemic heart diseases; and HIV disease.”

Within some provinces pneumonia and influenza accounted for more fatalities than TB. HIV disease is South Africa’s ninth largest cause of death.

Overall death rates in South Africa have showed a small decline, this fall being greatest in the 1-4 age group and among adult women.

A summary of the new statistics may be found on Health24.