Yes. All deaths are notifiable in most countries, including South Africa. The child’s age, gender and cause of death should be stated on the death notification form. Unfortunately the given cause of death is often unknown, incorrect or not helpful. For example, if a child with severe malnutrition due to poverty dies of pneumonia, it is of little help if the cause of death is listed as pneumonia when the real underlying reason was the low socioeconomic status of the family (i.e. poverty). Similarly, deaths due to AIDS are often recorded as gastroenteritis or tuberculosis.

The list of common causes of death on official publications is, therefore, often misleading.