J Du Toit, K Storath, I Dunn, P Makekeng, M Moosa, K Mothibi, N Umuneza, C A Rees, D Blau, S Lala, Y Adam, S Velaphi, M Hale, P Swart, J Wadula, L Mothibi, A Wise, V Baba, P Jaglal, S Mahtab, S Madhi, Z Dangor
Determining the death burden for prioritising public health interventions necessitates detailed data on the causal pathways to death. Postmortem minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS), incorporating histology, molecular and microbial culture diagnostics, enhances cause-of-death attribution, particularly for infectious deaths. MITS proves a valid alternative to full diagnostic autopsies, especially in low- and middle-income countries. In Soweto, South Africa (SA), the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) programme has delineated over 1 000 child and stillbirth deaths since 2017...
February 13, 2024: South African Medical Journal