Adult mortality in rural Malawi

This paper estimates adult mortality in rural Malawi between 1998 and 2001. The study was conducted as part of a longitudinal household survey in 2001. Mortalityinduced sample attrition between 1998 and 2001 was 5 per cent and according to a World Health Organization clinical definition, most of the deaths were AIDS-related. Findings of this study are consistent with earlier studies in sub-Saharan Africa during the earlier stages of the AIDS epidemic. Large and well-conducted studies of adult mortality are urgently needed in Malawi as well as in other regions of Africa. Data from these studies will help to model epidemiological transition and execute relevant policy programmes to prevent future epidemics.