Health issues in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest infant mortality rates in the world. Although the poorest regions in the world cannot afford good levels of medical care, other factors may include:

-Neonatal infections- High rate of infections while delivering a baby cause high rates of infection for the newborn 

-Around 10% of deaths in early childhood in the region are due to diarrhoea.

-Lack of skilled birth attendants may lead to children dying within 24 hours of being born.

-There may be a lack of vaccinations and mosquito nets to stop preventable diseases.

Two of the main killers in Sub Saharan Africa are HIV and Malaria 

Malaria is caused by parasites that are spread to people through the bites of infected mosquitos. It is a preventable disease yet a large amount of death is happening due to it. Malaria is constantly present in 40% of the world's population. Malaria is a health threat to many tropical countries around the world as warm and humid temperatures are perfect breeding spots for mosquitos.

Country facing the impact of Malaria: Malawi is a country in Sub-Saharan Africa with a large population. Lake Malawi covers a third of Malawi's land area. It has a high infant mortality rate and life expectancy of 50 years. More than 80% of the population live in rural areas. It is unlikely to affect people in highland area as it is much cooler and drier there.

Reasons for it:

-Malaria's seasons vary, reaching peaks in rainy season ( Jan to April)

- Highest rates of infections are found around lake Malawi due to the warm and humid temps and conditions which are perfect breeding conditions for mosquitoes.

-Infection rates are higher in rural areas

-Children, pregnant women and those with HIV are at high risk

-Mosquitoes are becoming resistant to insecticides 

-For most in Malawi, visiting a doctor is a long walk away

Government strategies to combat Malaria:

-Increasing the use of insecticide-treated bed nets. In 2015 80% of the population had at least 1-bed net but that doesn't mean that everyone got to sleep under it.

-Improve access to fast and effective treatment so that early symptoms can be managed 

-Spraying insecticides in places where mosquitoes are most likely to come into contact with people.

Sub Saharan Africa has the most widespread HIV epidemic in the world. In 2013 71% of the global total living with HIV were those from the Sub-Saharan. 

Country facing the impacts of HIV/AIDS: Malawi has an estimated 1 million people who are infected with HIV.

Reasons for it:

- Average life expectancy is 50 year largely due to the death caused by AIDS.

-Rates of HIV are higher in urban areas than they are in rural areas.

-Many families are in poverty due to parents being too ill to work

-Country's development is limited due to a reduction in taxes paid leading to a result of fewer people working. 

-Children with parents who have HIV often drop out of school to look after their parents.

Government strategies to combat HIV/AIDS:

-HIV testing and counselling has increased over the past few years 

-Large investments to prevent mother to child transmissions where pregnant women have access to medication while pregnant which helps prevent infection being given to the baby.

-Increase in availability of free condoms 

-increase in the number of people treated with anti-retroviral which prevents people from getting HIV which may lead on to AIDS, which therefore prevents early death

International Responses:

Most nations are fully committed to reducing infectious diseases such as Malaria and HIV. The rollback Malaria campaign has over 500 partners working together to provide a global response to the disease. One of the UN's goals was to reduce the incidence of the disease by 2015.

The global response to HIV focused on prevention through encouraging behaviour change and research into vaccines. However, it was evident that this was not enough to stop the epidemic. Today the UN's goal is to end the epidemic by 2030 by improving the availability of contraception, education and availability of medication which prevents the virus leading to AIDS.  

Glossary:

Malaria: a serious tropical disease which if left untreated can be fatal- symptoms include fever, headaches, vomiting, muscle pain.

HIV: a virus that attacks the body's immune systems and weakens the ability to fight infections. If left untreated it can lead to AIDS.

AIDS: is the final stage of HIV infection, which may lead to death unless it is treated