Top causes of death in Africa in 2019

Neonatal conditions were the leading cause of death in Africa in 2019. Neonatal conditions accounted for 11.3 percent of all deaths in Africa that year, followed by lower respiratory infections which were responsible for 9.9 percent of deaths. Although HIV is not one of the leading causes of death worldwide, it remains within the top five leading causes of death in Africa. As of 2018, the top 15 countries with the highest prevalence of new HIV infections are all found in Africa.

HIV/AIDS

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is an infectious sexually transmitted disease that is transmitted via exposure to infected semen, blood, vaginal and anal fluids and breast milk. HIV weakens the human immune system, resulting in the affected person being unable to fight off opportunistic infections. HIV/AIDS was the fourth leading cause of death in Africa in 2019, accounting for around 5.6 percent of all deaths, or around 434,544 total deaths.

HIV Treatment

Although there is currently no effective cure for HIV, death can be prevented by taking HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART). Access to ART worldwide has increased greatly over the last decade, however there still remain barriers to access in some of the countries most impacted by HIV. The African countries with the highest percentage of HIV infected children who were receiving antiretroviral treatment were Namibia, Eswatini, and Zambia.