Introduction
Many health concerns have arose in Central Africa. Below are some examples from each country of current health issues. As you will notice, a lot of these health issues overlap from country to country. For more information on each country and their health statistics, click on the title of each section.
Angola
Malaria, measles, acute respiratory disease, tetanus, communicable diseases and malnutrition, are just a few causes of the low mortality rates in Angola. Other causes could also be due to the poor access to healthcare (World Health Organization). If the country could improve upon their health care system, it could drastically bring down the number of cases of disease. Currently, only 30-40% of the population has access to health care, and of those people, most would have to walk an extreme distance to get the help they need. The shortage of doctors and nurses in the country does not help the cause either, especially since the few number that are employed are mostly concentrated in the capital (World Health Organization). As you can see in the map to the right, the capital would be an extreme journey to make for most people. The ratio of doctors to people is 5:100,000, making it extremely difficult for anyone to see a physician. Lastly, drug scarcity brings the problem of treatment of these diseases due to low funding and inefficiency in the pharmaceutical area (World Health Organization).
RWanda
Due to the Rwandan Genocide, the country’s health system suffered a great loss. Although a lot of health infrastructures have been able to be rebuilt, there was a major loss of healthcare professionals in the genocide resulting in a shortage today (Taylor). For 10 years, from 2000-2010, Rwanda only had 221 physicians working (Our Africa). Among the prevalent health issues in the country are AIDS, malaria, dysentery, and TB, but one of the most prevalent is mental illnesses, which has understandably increased by 1000% since the terrible events of the Rwandan Genocide. Since Rwanda is a very poor country, it relies heavily on foreign countries to help cover costs by funding and giving grants (Taylor). Because of this poverty issue, many are malnourished, and only half have access to clean, safe drinking water. The country has tried to help this problem through the setup of Girinka. In this program, each family gets one cow in hopes that the milk can provide nutrition (Our Africa).
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burundi
The most prevalent diseases in Burundi are the communicable diseases affecting pregnant women and children. Among the people who carry these communicable diseases, 30% of them also have high blood pressure and/or diabetes (World Health Organization). Burundi has adopted and been working towards making progress on the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 6. The goals of this is to get rid of extreme poverty and hunger, give everyone the opportunity for primary education, promote gender equality, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability, and to aid development, create a global partnership (Millennium Developmental Goals). Burundi is currently striving to achieve a universal health care system. To learn more about their plan for that as well as more information on the MDG, click here.
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Democratic republic of congo (Zaire)
Due to less than 25% of the population having proper sanitation facilities and less than 50% of the population having access to clean water, water borne diseases are very common in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Our Africa). Malaria is also a large source of sickness, causing 2 out of every 5 deaths of young children. On the east side of the country there is a lot of conflict between the people. This fighting and the lack of roads have made it extremely hard for help to come to some areas of the country. Like many other countries in Central Africa, the health centers in the Democratic Republic of Congo are under staffed and equipped due to the conflicts occurring. Most health care professionals have their own private practice, have moved to different countries, or began working for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) due to the lack of wages received from the government. The World Health Organization and NGOs are trying to help with these problems like UNICEF immunizing against different diseases (Our Africa).
Central African Republic
Like a few other countries in Central Africa, there were many years of political violence between rebellious groups and the government. Due to this conflict many people have little to no access to health services, and the centers that are still standing in the southeast and north regions are either looted or not in business due to the workers not wanting to stay (Central African Republic). As is the case in Angola, health services are easily accessible in the capital, and get more difficult to access as you move away from the capital. Because of this barrier, NGOs are trying to help areas that do not have facilities by using mobile services. The World Health Organization did an assessment of the country's healthcare needs and found that it is in need of over 800 facilities. The organization's Health Resources Availability Mapping System (HeRAMS) also looked at the aspects of the facilities, and found them to be a "Grade 3" level of humanitarian emergency. To learn more about this health grade level and more about fixing these problems, click here (WHO helps Central African Republic).
Gabon and Equatorial Guinea
The current leading causes of death in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea are HIV/AIDS, malaria, which leads to tuberculosis, premature births, and low birth weights (Equatorial Guinea). The Center for Medical Research of Franceville (CIRMF) has been conducting some research on HIV and treatment in Gabon for it. It is also researching Ebola and how to handle it. This research has lead to doctors being able to learn how to treat infectious diseases (Clottey). One thing people have to be cautious about when traveling to Gabon is the food and fresh waters. Travelers are advised to not eat the local food or bathe in any body of fresh water (Main health risks for Gabon). You should take special precautions with water use especially after a flood or natural disaster and in areas with a lack of sanitation. One should also be extra careful with mosquito bites, because they could lead to malaria. It is also advised to make sure you are up to date with vaccinations, especially the measles vaccine (Equatorial Guinea). There are many websites you can visit if you are planning on traveling to Gabon to find helpful tips on how to avoid health risks on your trip.
References
(N. D.). Central African Republic: Struggling for Healthcare. Retrieved from http://www.irinnews.org/report/92069/central-african-republic-struggling-for-healthcare
Clottey, Peter (March 4, 2012). Gabon Government Improves Public Access to Healthcare. Retrieved from http://www.voanews.com/content/gabon-government-improves-public-access-to-healthcare--141502813/179357.html
(N.D.). Equatorial Guinea (Africa). Retrieved from http://www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk/destinations/africa/equatorial-guinea.aspx
hdptcar. (2008). Lining up for Vaccination. [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/hdptcar/2529980825/in/photolist-4RyPa4-7d4s3R-896Dai-4RyMov-9RUyGh-7Wp9iW-9RRXyx-7d4rZD-naZRHb-7WkVn6-7Wp9vE-fohrag-7dgMwp-961dU2-9RUyG1-9RRXyM-9RRXz6-7Wp9J1-7WkNfg-7WkSe2-7WkRfD-9uBUbh-9PnTVv-hvP2mW-jxiWN7-9RRXyt-9uBTPh-8gTS1V-r8QKHA-6ogpz4-77qPTy-r8VXqX-qc8x2k-r8VXZn-naZNZK-daAp25-9RUyG3-9RRXyV-9RUyFU-drRuHU-daAmXF-daAo6V-fohAgt-fohAhH-fohrfi-9RUyGb-nsdbhY-7Wp7WQ-qRtb84-drRkhk%20World%20Health%20Organization%20(December%202005).%20Angola.%20Retrieved. Available under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
(N.D.). Main health risks for Gabon. Retrieved from http://www.netglobers.com/africa/gabon-main-health-risks-for-gabon.html
(N.D.) Millennium Developmental Goals: Burundi. Retrieved at http://www.indexmundi.com/burundi/millennium-development-goals.html
Our Africa (N.D.). DR Congo. Retrieved from http://www.our-africa.org/democratic-republic-of-congo/poverty-healthcare
Our Africa (N.D.). Poverty and Healthcare. Retrieved from http://www.our-africa.org/rwanda/poverty-healthcare
Taylor, C.C. (N.D.). Rwanda-Health. Retrieved from http://www.africa.upenn.edu/NEH/rwhealth.htm
(September 2014). WHO helps Central African Republic assess damage and restore its health system. Retrived from http://www.who.int/features/2014/car-health-system/en/
World Health Organization (December 2005). Angola. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/hac/crises/ago/background/Angola_Dec05.pdf
World Health Organization (N.D.). Burundi. http://www.who.int/countryfocus/cooperation_strategy/ccsbrief_bdi_en.pdf
Clottey, Peter (March 4, 2012). Gabon Government Improves Public Access to Healthcare. Retrieved from http://www.voanews.com/content/gabon-government-improves-public-access-to-healthcare--141502813/179357.html
(N.D.). Equatorial Guinea (Africa). Retrieved from http://www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk/destinations/africa/equatorial-guinea.aspx
hdptcar. (2008). Lining up for Vaccination. [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/hdptcar/2529980825/in/photolist-4RyPa4-7d4s3R-896Dai-4RyMov-9RUyGh-7Wp9iW-9RRXyx-7d4rZD-naZRHb-7WkVn6-7Wp9vE-fohrag-7dgMwp-961dU2-9RUyG1-9RRXyM-9RRXz6-7Wp9J1-7WkNfg-7WkSe2-7WkRfD-9uBUbh-9PnTVv-hvP2mW-jxiWN7-9RRXyt-9uBTPh-8gTS1V-r8QKHA-6ogpz4-77qPTy-r8VXqX-qc8x2k-r8VXZn-naZNZK-daAp25-9RUyG3-9RRXyV-9RUyFU-drRuHU-daAmXF-daAo6V-fohAgt-fohAhH-fohrfi-9RUyGb-nsdbhY-7Wp7WQ-qRtb84-drRkhk%20World%20Health%20Organization%20(December%202005).%20Angola.%20Retrieved. Available under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
(N.D.). Main health risks for Gabon. Retrieved from http://www.netglobers.com/africa/gabon-main-health-risks-for-gabon.html
(N.D.) Millennium Developmental Goals: Burundi. Retrieved at http://www.indexmundi.com/burundi/millennium-development-goals.html
Our Africa (N.D.). DR Congo. Retrieved from http://www.our-africa.org/democratic-republic-of-congo/poverty-healthcare
Our Africa (N.D.). Poverty and Healthcare. Retrieved from http://www.our-africa.org/rwanda/poverty-healthcare
Taylor, C.C. (N.D.). Rwanda-Health. Retrieved from http://www.africa.upenn.edu/NEH/rwhealth.htm
(September 2014). WHO helps Central African Republic assess damage and restore its health system. Retrived from http://www.who.int/features/2014/car-health-system/en/
World Health Organization (December 2005). Angola. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/hac/crises/ago/background/Angola_Dec05.pdf
World Health Organization (N.D.). Burundi. http://www.who.int/countryfocus/cooperation_strategy/ccsbrief_bdi_en.pdf