Question NW36 to the Minister of Health

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09 July 2019 - NW36

Profile picture: Thembekwayo, Dr S

Thembekwayo, Dr S to ask the Minister of Health

What is the recorded total number of (a) alcohol-related deaths and (b) children who have been born with foetal alcohol syndrome in (i) each province and (ii) each of the past five financial years?

Reply:

(a)(i)-(ii) Table 1 below provide information on the numbers of alcohol related deaths in South Africa was obtained from the South African Medical Research Council, that was extracted from unit records of deaths provided by Statistics South Africa which are available up to 2016.

Table 1:

Number of registered deaths with underlying causes that is alcohol related by province, 2012-2016

PROVINCE

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

TOTAL

Eastern Cape

47

87

110

116

107

467

Free State

19

26

39

30

33

147

Gauteng

40

53

45

48

57

243

KwaZulu-Natal

65

76

73

83

75

372

Limpopo

20

15

18

23

20

96

Mpumalanga

18

12

16

22

11

79

North West

22

18

16

26

22

104

Northern Cape

21

33

36

30

29

149

Western Cape

118

120

129

123

139

629

TOTAL

370

440

482

501

493

2286

(b)(i)-(ii) Currently, data is available on the prevalence of foetal alcohol syndrome among grade-1 learners which is collected through surveys that were conducted in selected communities. Table 2 below provides a summary of the prevalence data that is available and was provided by the Foundation for Alcohol Related Research[1]

Table 2:

Summary of the prevalence of foetal alcohol syndrome among grade-1 learners

PROVINCE

COMMUNITY

PREVELANCE RATE AS A PERCENTAGE

REFERENCE

Eastern Cape

Bethelsdorp,

Port Elizabeth

13,0

Olivier, et al., 2017a

 

Burgersdorp

6,2

Still to be published

Free State

Jacobsdal

12,9

Still to be published

Gauteng

Soweto,

Diepsloot,

Lenasia

2,6

Viljoen, 2001

Northern Cape

De Aar

11,9

Urban et al., 2008

 

Upington

7,4

Chersich et al., 2012b

 

Kimberley

6,4

Urban et al., 2015

 

Renosterberg Municipality

28,2

Olivier et al., 2017b

 

Hanover

20,8

Still to be published

Western Cape

Wellington

8,9

Viljoen, Gossage, Brooke, Adnams, Jones, Robinson ... & May, 2005

 

Aurora

10,0

Olivier et al., 2013

 

Witzenberg Sub-district

9,6

Olivier et al., 2016

 

Saldanha Bay Municipality

6,7

Olivier et al., 2016

 

Wellington,

Montague,

Ashton,

Robertson

13,5 - 20,8

May et al., 2016

END.

  1. Probst, C, Parry C, Wittchen H, Rehm J. The socioeconomic profile of alcohol-attributable mortality in South Africa: a modelling study. BMC Medicine. 2018; 16:97

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