A new study on the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region finds that at least 80 percent of deaths in the war were caused by disease rather than violence. The United Nations estimates that 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur since rebels and the Sudanese government began fighting in 2003.
This week on Upfront we discussed the challenges of fighting malaria in Africa. Each year millions of Africans succumb to this deadly yet preventable and curable disease. The main problem seems to be accessibility to medicine for those vulnerable groups in rural communities. Each year, malaria causes nearly one million deaths, mostly among children under 5 years of age, and an additional 189 to 327 million clinical cases, the majority of which occur in the world's poorest countries.
Almost half the world’s population, that is 3.3 billion people, is at risk for malaria, and the proportion increases yearly due to deteriorating health systems, growing drug and insecticide resistance, climate change, and war.
High-risk groups include children, pregnant women, travelers, refugees, displaced persons, and laborers entering endemic areas.
Impact Within and Outside the African Region
Malaria is prevalent in 109 countries, 45 of which are within the WHO African Region. In 2006, 86 percent of malaria cases occurred in the African Region, with a high concentration (80 percent) in 13 countries. Among the cases that occurred outside the African Region, 80 percent were in India, Sudan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Pakistan.
Ninety percent of malaria deaths occur in Africa. Each day approximately 2,200 Africans die from malaria, 85 percent are children under 5 years of age.
Social, Economic, and Development Impact
Malaria increases poverty by significantly reducing productivity and social stability.
Rural and poor populations carry the overwhelming burden of malaria because access to effective treatment is extremely limited. In rural areas, the infection rates are highest during the rainy season - a time of intense agricultural activity. Research indicates that families affected by malaria clear 60 percent less crops than other families.
Malaria has been estimated to cost Africa more than US$ 12 billion every year in lost GDP, even though it could be controlled for a fraction of that sum.
Prevention and Care
The combination of tools to prevent and treat malaria includes long-lasting insecticidal nets and artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), supported by indoor residual spraying of insecticide and intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy. In 2005, the World Health Assembly set targets of more than 80 percent coverage of these key interventions by 2010.
Recent studies in four African countries showed that high coverage of both prevention and treatment interventions can decrease malaria mortality in children up to 50%, and greatly reduce the overall burden of malaria in both adults and children.
Unfortunately, in most African countries, coverage of these interventions is far below the 80 percent target. Surveys in 18 African countries found that 34 percent of households owned an insecticide-treated net; 23 percent of children and 27 percent of pregnant women slept under an insecticide-treated net; 38 percent of children with fever were treated with antimalarial drugs, but only 3 percent with ACT; and 18 percent of women used intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy. Only five African countries reported coverage of indoor residual spraying sufficient to protect at least 70 percent of people at risk of malaria.
In regions other than Africa, intervention coverage is difficult to measure because household surveys are uncommon, preventive methods usually target high-risk populations of unknown size, and National Malaria Control Programmes do not report on diagnosis and treatment in the private sector.
The 2001 report of the WHO Commission on Macroeconomics and Health estimated that up to US$2 billion are needed each year to achieve the goal of halving the burden of malaria by 2010. While contributions from the international community and countries themselves are steadily increasing, much work and investment is still needed, especially in Africa, to protect the millions at risk.
Since the beginning of recorded history, Africa has been blessed with an abundance of natural resources. These include diamonds, gold and oil. In fact, it’s estimated that Africa produces almost 50 percent of the world’s diamonds, and a large percentage of platinum and gold. Why then is this continent one of the poorest, when it should be one of the richest and most self-sustaining parts of the world?
Over the years, these natural resources have been exploited and local poverty-stricken communities that should have thrived from its presence did not benefit at all. As you know, Africa’s subsistence comes primarily from agriculture and mining. At the same time, so-called ‘development experts’ argue that Africa has not harnessed its natural resources. What exactly do they mean by that? Tune in to Upfront this week to find out.
We know about the blood diamonds in Sierra Leone and the conflict in the Niger Delta over oil, and there are many other such examples. Many African lives have been lost in the name of these precious materials. So we ask on Upfront today, are Africa’s natural resources a blessing or a curse? Don’t miss it!
In recent years many African institutions of higher learning have increased their tuition by over 50 percent. This means that for many college-bound students, the struggle to complete their education is even harder. With the cost of living constantly on the increase, many have to make the tough choice between providing for a family, or paying for a college degree. It’s not hard to guess the choice that is most often made is.
In many countries where governments provide subsidies for those students who perform well academically but lack funding, there has been a gradual move to decrease the subsidy or scrap it all together.
This week on Upfront we explore some of the causes of the ever-increasing costs of higher education and how it is affecting you and your community. Many students we spoke to complained that they have either had to take a semester off or entirely dropped out of school for lack of school fees.
For the few who still get some form of scholarship like our friend John--a medical student at Port Harcourt University, the burden of paying other education related fees like purchasing text books and support material have made it hard for them to complete their education. In many cases African students have to scrounge to get the latest textbooks, with many holding down multiple jobs.
So far this year, the picture looks even bleaker, because of the economic crisis. In many African countries, they continue to cut higher education appropriations and institutions like Uganda's Makerere University is responding by raising tuition even higher, imposing new fees and reducing student financial assistance.
It’s a vicious cycle that will have harsh impacts on the job market, as less and less trained professionals come to the fore.
According to UNESCO, limited access to higher education and high costs have become characteristic of the African continent. The organization says that in the universities of 30 African nations, the median enrollment rate does not exceed 2 percent. So what happens to the millions of African youth who can't make it to an institute of higher learning? Well,one of the reasons that insurgent groups in Africa are able to recruit easily,is that there is an abundant group of frustrated youth who have nothing else to do. The dismal job market is only able to absorb but so many. So the rest are left to struggle and fend for themselves with little skills to survive. The only alternative is to join a rebel group or engage in other forms of illegal activity.
So given the extent of higher education’s benefits to society,increasing costs that hamper access to universities and colleges are matters of great significance to the continent. Each country should work towards providing easy access to high education because for one,society as a whole benefits from a financial return on the investment in higher education per student educated. In addition to widespread productivity increases, the higher earnings of educated workers generate higher tax payments and consistent productive employment reduces dependence on public programs like welfare.
