A new report from the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) reveals that HIV and AIDS, COVID-19, and other communicable diseases remain the leading causes of death among the economically active population in the country.
In 2020, HIV and AIDS accounted for 13.5% of deaths among adults aged 15-59, while COVID-19 became the leading cause of death in 2021, accounting for 15.1% of fatalities in this age group.
“The fact that HIV and AIDS and COVID-19 continue to claim so many lives is a stark reminder of the urgent need to strengthen our public health interventions,” said NSA Statistician General Alex Shimuafeni while presenting a mortality and fertility rate report. “We must continue to prioritise prevention, testing, and treatment for HIV and AIDS, while also maintaining robust COVID-19 vaccination and mitigation measures.”
The report also highlights the persistent burden of communicable diseases among children. Diarrheal diseases were the leading cause of death among children under five in both 2020 (11.9%) and 2021 (11.3%).
“The high rates of diarrheal deaths among young children are unacceptable,” emphasised Shimuafeni. “We must improve access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene to prevent these preventable tragedies.”
While communicable diseases remain a major challenge, the report also notes a positive trend in the decline of deaths from non-communicable diseases. In 2021, deaths due to non-communicable diseases accounted for 21.5%, down from 37.5% in 2018.
“This decline is encouraging, but we must not be complacent,” cautioned Shimuafeni. “We need to intensify our efforts to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases, as well as address injuries.”
The report also raises concerns about the quality of death data in Namibia. Nearly half (49%) of deaths in 2021 had ill-defined causes of death, primarily due to misclassification by healthcare providers during manual recording.
“The misclassification of causes of death is a major issue that hinders our ability to make informed decisions about public health interventions,” stated Shimuafeni. “We must urgently adopt electronic death notification systems to improve the accuracy and completeness of death data.”
The NSA called upon the Ministry of Health and Social Services to work with healthcare providers to address the issue of misclassification. Additionally, the agency urged the Office of the Prime Minister to collaborate with system developers to identify and rectify data entry errors.
“Accurate and timely death data is essential for effective public health planning and resource allocation,” concluded Shimuafeni. “We must address the data quality issues highlighted in this report to ensure that our public health interventions are targeted and effective.”
