Kenya Verbal Autopsy Standards and Guidelines 2019

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) sets the international standards for monitoring levels and causes of death, including its endorsement in 1948 of the international classification of diseases and injuries (ICD) as well as a standard medical certificate of cause of death with rules for classifying the causes of death. In Kenya, civil registration is the mandate of the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, under the State Department of Immigration, Border Control and Registration of Persons. The Civil Registration Services (CRS) is mandated to register all births and deaths occurring in Kenya, and births and deaths of Kenyans occurring abroad as provided in the Births and Deaths Registration Act Cap 149 laws of Kenya. To standardize the application of VA in the various settings in which it is used, and to support expanded use of VA in Kenya, the Ministry of Health has developed the Kenya Verbal Autopsy (KeVA) 2019 Standards. Application of the KeVA 2019 Standards, and the accompanying Kenya VA Implementation Guidelines, will support all stakeholders in understanding cause of death at the community level in Kenya...