Africa Is Developing Solutions For Fighting Disease And Improving Health, New WH

[Guest guest]

Africa Is Developing Solutions For Fighting Disease And Improving

Health, New WHO Report Finds

The signs are everywhere, across the continent: Africa is finding

African approaches to solving its health problems.

In Uganda, 50 percent of all HIV/AIDS patients have been reached with

life-saving antiretroviral medicine through an innovative programme

that trains nurses to do some of the work traditionally done by

doctors and community health workers to take on some of the work of

nurses.

In Mali, community cost-sharing schemes have provided 35 of the

country's 57 community health centres with staff trained to deliver

babies and perform emergency caesarian sections, making skilled

obstetric care available to thousands of women who could not

previously afford it.

In Rwanda, a police-led road safety campaign, which has included

introduction of fines for failure to wear seatbelts or helmets,

resulted in a drop of nearly one quarter in the number of deaths from

road traffic injuries in a single year.

And in South Africa, a health-care train routinely transports young

doctors and final-year medical students to isolated farming areas

that would otherwise have no access to basic medical services. To

date the train has provided health care to half a million people and

health screening and education to an additional 800 000.

These steps forward and others chronicled in The African Regional

Health Report: The Health of the People -- the first report to focus

on the health of the 738 million people living in the African Region

of the World Health Organization -- offer hope that over time the

region can address the massive health challenges it faces, given

sufficient international support.

" Africa confronts the world's most dramatic public health crisis, but

this report shows there are public health solutions that work in the

African setting. These can be extended to all Africans in need, if

governments build on lessons learnt from successful interventions

while seeking better coordination with the efforts of international

partners " , said Alpha Oumar Konare, Chairman of the Commission of the

African Union.

The Report provides a comprehensive analysis of key public health

issues and progress made on them in the Africa Region.

HIV/AIDS continues to devastate the WHO Africa Region, which has 11

percent of the world's population but 60% of the people living with

HIV. Although HIV/AIDS remains the leading cause of death for adults,

more and more people are receiving life-saving treatment. The number

of HIV-positive people on antiretroviral medicines increased eight-

fold, to 810 000 in December 2005 from 100 000 in December 2003.

More than 90% of the estimated 300-500 million malaria cases that

occur worldwide every year are in Africans, mainly in children under

five years of age, but most countries are moving towards better

treatment policies. Of the 42 malaria-endemic countries in the

African Region, 33 have adopted artemisinin-based combination therapy-

-the most effective antimalarial medicines available today--as first-

line treatment.

River blindness has been eliminated as a public health problem, and

guinea worm control efforts have resulted in a 97% reduction in cases

since 1986. Leprosy is close to elimination--defined as less than one

case per 10 000 people in the Region.

Most countries are making good progress on preventable childhood

illness. Polio is close to eradication, and 37 countries are reaching

60% or more of their children with measles immunization. Overall

measles deaths have declined by more than 50% since 1999. In 2005

alone 75 million children received measles vaccines.

While drawing the world's attention to recent successes, the Report

offers a candid appraisal of major hurdles, such as the high rate of

maternal and newborn mortality overall in the Region. Of the 20

countries with the highest maternal mortality ratios worldwide, 19

are in Africa; and the Region has the highest neonatal death rate in

the world. Then there is the strain on African health systems imposed

by the high burden of life-threatening communicable diseases coupled

with increasing rates of noncommunicable diseases. Basic sanitation

needs remain unmet for many: only 58% of people living in Sub-Saharan

Africa have access to safe water supplies. Noncommunicable diseases,

such as hypertension, heart disease and diabetes are on the rise; and

injuries remain among the top causes of death in the Region.

" We know what the challenges are, and we know how to address them--

but we also recognize that Africa's fragile health systems represent

an enormous barrier to wider application of the solutions highlighted

in this report. If we are to continue moving forward, African

governments and their partners must make a major commitment and

invest more funds to strengthen health systems, " said Dr Gomes

Sambo, Regional Director of the WHO Regional Office for Africa.

###

Contact:

Sam Ajibola,

Communications Officer,

Regional Office for Africa

For further information please visit:

WHO - Regional Office for Africa Or

WHO

[Guest guest]

Africa Is Developing Solutions For Fighting Disease And Improving

Health, New WHO Report Finds

The signs are everywhere, across the continent: Africa is finding

African approaches to solving its health problems.

In Uganda, 50 percent of all HIV/AIDS patients have been reached with

life-saving antiretroviral medicine through an innovative programme

that trains nurses to do some of the work traditionally done by

doctors and community health workers to take on some of the work of

nurses.

In Mali, community cost-sharing schemes have provided 35 of the

country's 57 community health centres with staff trained to deliver

babies and perform emergency caesarian sections, making skilled

obstetric care available to thousands of women who could not

previously afford it.

In Rwanda, a police-led road safety campaign, which has included

introduction of fines for failure to wear seatbelts or helmets,

resulted in a drop of nearly one quarter in the number of deaths from

road traffic injuries in a single year.

And in South Africa, a health-care train routinely transports young

doctors and final-year medical students to isolated farming areas

that would otherwise have no access to basic medical services. To

date the train has provided health care to half a million people and

health screening and education to an additional 800 000.

These steps forward and others chronicled in The African Regional

Health Report: The Health of the People -- the first report to focus

on the health of the 738 million people living in the African Region

of the World Health Organization -- offer hope that over time the

region can address the massive health challenges it faces, given

sufficient international support.

" Africa confronts the world's most dramatic public health crisis, but

this report shows there are public health solutions that work in the

African setting. These can be extended to all Africans in need, if

governments build on lessons learnt from successful interventions

while seeking better coordination with the efforts of international

partners " , said Alpha Oumar Konare, Chairman of the Commission of the

African Union.

The Report provides a comprehensive analysis of key public health

issues and progress made on them in the Africa Region.

HIV/AIDS continues to devastate the WHO Africa Region, which has 11

percent of the world's population but 60% of the people living with

HIV. Although HIV/AIDS remains the leading cause of death for adults,

more and more people are receiving life-saving treatment. The number

of HIV-positive people on antiretroviral medicines increased eight-

fold, to 810 000 in December 2005 from 100 000 in December 2003.

More than 90% of the estimated 300-500 million malaria cases that

occur worldwide every year are in Africans, mainly in children under

five years of age, but most countries are moving towards better

treatment policies. Of the 42 malaria-endemic countries in the

African Region, 33 have adopted artemisinin-based combination therapy-

-the most effective antimalarial medicines available today--as first-

line treatment.

River blindness has been eliminated as a public health problem, and

guinea worm control efforts have resulted in a 97% reduction in cases

since 1986. Leprosy is close to elimination--defined as less than one

case per 10 000 people in the Region.

Most countries are making good progress on preventable childhood

illness. Polio is close to eradication, and 37 countries are reaching

60% or more of their children with measles immunization. Overall

measles deaths have declined by more than 50% since 1999. In 2005

alone 75 million children received measles vaccines.

While drawing the world's attention to recent successes, the Report

offers a candid appraisal of major hurdles, such as the high rate of

maternal and newborn mortality overall in the Region. Of the 20

countries with the highest maternal mortality ratios worldwide, 19

are in Africa; and the Region has the highest neonatal death rate in

the world. Then there is the strain on African health systems imposed

by the high burden of life-threatening communicable diseases coupled

with increasing rates of noncommunicable diseases. Basic sanitation

needs remain unmet for many: only 58% of people living in Sub-Saharan

Africa have access to safe water supplies. Noncommunicable diseases,

such as hypertension, heart disease and diabetes are on the rise; and

injuries remain among the top causes of death in the Region.

" We know what the challenges are, and we know how to address them--

but we also recognize that Africa's fragile health systems represent

an enormous barrier to wider application of the solutions highlighted

in this report. If we are to continue moving forward, African

governments and their partners must make a major commitment and

invest more funds to strengthen health systems, " said Dr Gomes

Sambo, Regional Director of the WHO Regional Office for Africa.

###

Contact:

Sam Ajibola,

Communications Officer,

Regional Office for Africa

For further information please visit:

WHO - Regional Office for Africa Or

WHO