title: Causes of death in Vanuatu.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The population of the Pacific Melanesian country of Vanuatu was 234,000 at the 2009 census. Apart from subsistence activities, economic activity includes tourism and agriculture. Current completeness of vital registration is considered too low to be usable for national statistics; mortality and life expectancy (LE) are derived from indirect demographic estimates from censuses/surveys. Some cause of death (CoD) data are available to provide information on major causes of premature death.
  
  
  METHODS
  Deaths 2001-2007 were coded for cause (ICDv10) for ages 0-59 years from: hospital separations (HS) (n = 636), hospital medical certificates (MC) of death (n = 1,169), and monthly reports from community health facilities (CHF) (n = 1,212). Ill-defined causes were 3 % for hospital deaths and 20 % from CHF. Proportional mortality was calculated by cause (excluding ill-defined) and age group (0-4, 5-14 years), and also by sex for 15-59 years. From total deaths by broad age group and sex from 1999 and 2009 census analyses, community deaths were estimated by deduction of hospital deaths MC. National proportional mortality by cause was estimated by a weighted average of MC and CHF deaths.
  
  
  RESULTS
  National estimates indicate main causes of deaths <5 years were: perinatal disorders (45 %) and malaria, diarrhea, and pneumonia (27 %). For 15-59 years, main causes of male deaths were: circulatory disease 27 %, neoplasms 13 %, injury 13 %, liver disease 10 %, infection 10 %, diabetes 7 %, and chronic respiratory disease 7 %; and for females: neoplasms 29 %, circulatory disease 15 %, diabetes 10 %, infection 9 %, and maternal deaths 8 %. Infection included tuberculosis, malaria, and viral hepatitis. Liver disease (including hepatitis and cancer) accounted for 18 % of deaths in adult males and 9 % in females. Non-communicable disease (NCD), including circulatory disease, diabetes, neoplasm, and chronic respiratory disease, accounted for 52 % of premature deaths in adult males and 60 % in females. Injuries accounted for 13 % in adult males and 6 % in females. Maternal deaths translate into an annual maternal mortality ratio of 130/100,000 for the period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vanuatu manifests a double burden of disease with significant proportional mortality from perinatal disorders and infection/pneumonia <5 years and maternal mortality, coupled with significant proportional mortality in adults (15-59 years) from cardiovascular disease (CVD), neoplasms, and diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), B.P. D5, Nouméa, Cedex 98848 New Caledonia ; School of Population Health (SPH), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Queensland (UQ), St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland 4072 Australia.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health (MoH), Port Vila, Vanuatu.
authors.forename: Viran
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tovu
authors.affiliation: Formerly, Ministry of Health (MoH), Port Vila, Vanuatu.
authors.forename: Jeffrey Tila
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Langati
authors.affiliation: World Health Organisation, Vanuatu office, Port Vila, Vanuatu.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buttsworth
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health (MoH), Port Vila, Vanuatu.
authors.forename: Lester
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dingley
authors.affiliation: National Statistics Office, Port Vila, Vanuatu.
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Calo
authors.affiliation: Formerly, Ministry of Health (MoH), Port Vila, Vanuatu.
authors.forename: Griffith
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, Australian National University (ANU), Acton, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT) 2601 Australia ; School of Population Health (SPH), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Queensland (UQ), St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland 4072 Australia.
authors.forename: Chalapati
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.affiliation: Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3010 Australia.
authors.forename: Alan D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Community Medicine (SPHCM), University of New South Wales (UNSW), Randwick, Sydney, New South Wales (NSW) 2052 Australia.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Taylor
keywords: Adult deaths; Cause of death; Child deaths; Infection; Maternal mortality; Non-communicable disease; Vanuatu