media releases - Firearms are still the leading cause of non-natural death in SA

According to the Medical Research Council’s and UNISA’s Crime, Violence and Injury Lead Programme, firearms were again the leading cause of non-natural death in South Africa in 2002. Firearms accounted for 27.8% of all non-natural deaths recorded by the National Injury Mortality Surveillance System (NIMSS) in 2002, a slight increase on the 27.6% in 2001. Firearms again accounted for more deaths than road traffic collisions, which were the cause of 25% of all non-natural deaths. Firearms were the leading cause of fatal injury for all ages between 15 and 65 years and 89% were due to homicide, 10% suicide and 32 (0.5%) were accidental. The 7081 firearm deaths recorded by the NIMSS also exceeded the total number of transport deaths.

Among the other important findings were that males were four times as likely as females to die from non-natural causes. The leading manner of non-natural death among males was homicide (50%), while among females it was transport injuries (33%). Most non-natural deaths were young adults, with 37% aged 15-29 and 36% aged 30-44. Burns and drowning were the leading causes for children up to the age of two, whereas motor-vehicle pedestrian collisions were the leading cause of injury death for older children (3 to 14 years).

Of the 6878 transport-related deaths, 94% involved road users, and 6% were railway-related. Pedestrians accounted for 56% of the road deaths in which the road user category (cyclists, pedestrians, drivers and passengers) could be determined. As well as being the leading external cause of death in the 3 – 14-years age group, pedestrian deaths ranked among the top three causes for all age groups, except for children under 1 year of age. Pedestrians who died on the roads were often intoxicated, and it was noted that more than half of the fatally injured drivers tested positive for alcohol in the blood.

Detailed information about deaths due to non-natural deaths has been missing from the national vital statistics since 1991 and the NIMSS constitutes the beginnings of what is hoped will be a national mortuary-based system that captures the "who, what, when, where and how" of fatal injuries. The utility of the information collected by the NIMSS lies in the pointers it provides for improving the prevention and control of injuries in South Africa, and in evaluating the impact of direct (e.g. gun law enforcement) and indirect (e.g. socio-economic development) interventions that are expected to reduce some of the major causes of fatal injury.

The Crime, Violence and Injury Lead Programme co-directed by the Medical Research Council and the UNISA Institute for Social and Health Sciences are calling for a co-ordinated response to the injury epidemic in South Africa that will include five key foci:

a systemic review of the South African violence and injury sector along the lines of the two World Health Organisation’s World Reports on Violence (2002) and Road Traffic Injuries (2004), which will provide information on the magnitude and risks for injuries and the many social responses that require evaluations;

national, provincial, and city or regional programmes housed within the health departments that will facilitate interdepartmental collaboration and will be focal points for injury prevention;

prevention programmes underpinned by comprehensive fatal and non-fatal injury registration systems;

defined research priorities addressing the causes, consequences, costs and prevention of violence and injuries; and

integrating social and educational policies to promote gender and social equity.

The fourth annual NIMSS report was launched today by the Director General of Health, Dr Kamy Chetty, at the Sandton Convention Centre. The function was attended by the General Manager: Land Transport Regulation, National Department of Transport, Dr. Wendy Watson, the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of UNISA, Prof. Barney Pityana and the President of the Medical Research Council, Prof. William Pick. Prof. Pick echoed the call for a systematic review of current initiatives in the sector. Prof Pityana announced the 8th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Control, which will be hosted by Unisa and enable prevention agencies in South Africa to showcase their work. The conference is part of a larger strategy to draw public and political attention to the need to prioritise injuries and their prevention. The conference is also part of a concerted call for developments around injury prevention infrastructure and curricula vital for strengthening safety promotion in South Africa and in the rest of the African region.

Prof. Seedat, Director of the MRC-UNISA Lead Programme called for prevention initiatives to be centred in and around homes, schools, workplaces and recreational facilities. He stressed the need for firmer gun control and regulated access to alcohol over weekends and other high-risk periods including holiday seasons. He indicated that social development programmes, community policing and the reduction of media violence and social inequalities were among the many measures that can help to reduce gun-homicide, traffic deaths and other unintentional injuries.