Our Health Care Crisis
Volume 7 No. 1

FEATURES - Health Care in Africa

How African Countries Rank in Health Care

Preventing Unnecessary Death

Jane Wahome

Up to one million Africans, mostly children below the age of five, die from malaria every year. About 40,000 people become permanently blind from onchocerciasis [river blindness]. Tens of thousands die from trypanosomiasis [sleeping sickness], and many more from leishmaniases, leprosy, schistosomiases and filariases, among other diseases. Can we prevent all these unwanted deaths?

Mortality in Africa

Khaitsa Wasiyo

Although there is still a long way to go, Africa's health status in terms of adult and infant life expectancy is constantly improving. Before we can begin developing effective programs to increase life expectancy, we must first understand the causes and extent of mortality.

Improving the Nutritional Status of the African Child.

J. Ngo Som

Nearly 4 million children in Africa die each year before they reach the age of five, mainly due to malnutrition and related diseases. Today, despite some progress made, malnutrition still remains the major public health issue in children aged 0 to 5 years.

Improving Health Care Using Satellite Communications.

John Metzger

Physicians in Tanzania, Mozambique, and Uganda are using a telecommunications system called Health Net to consult with one another on treatments, organize workshops, and communicate with international organizations.

Advances in Traditional Medicine in Ghana

Peter Kobina Owu

George Daniel Koranteng heads Apaak Traditional Medicines, a company involved in herbal medical research and treatment. He has gained a reputation as a man committed to the positive development of traditional African medicine.

AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa: Epidemiology and Prospects for Prevention

David J. Hunter

Why has HIV spread so rapidly in Africa? The answer to this question is vital to determine the most appropriate interventions to slow the spread of the epidemic.

Malaria-Resurgent Hopes for a Timeless Plague

John A. Selormey

Malaria remains the most significant killer disease in sub-Saharan Africa. The disease kills as many as 3 million annually. Recent research efforts suggest that effective treatment may be on the way.

Cooking Can Kill: An Update on Extreme Smoke Exposure from Tradition Cooking Fuels

Daniel M. Kammen

Biomass fuels are frequently burned in confined indoor environments on traditional stoves; a combination that can result in high concentrations of pollutants. Technology dissemination schemes and other efforts designed to combat this health crisis are critically needed.

New Treatments for Sickle Cell Anemia

William P. Winter and Junius G. Adams, III

Eighty years after sickle cell anemia came to the attention of Western medicine, there is still no comprehensive treatment for it, although patient care techniques have improved vastly. New research points the way to some exciting possible treatments.

Human Resources

Privatization in Africa

William J. Hartnett

The economic landscape is shifting as countries around the world abandon nationalization in favor of privatization. Although privatization is seen as a way to streamline government and improve economic growth, the path has proven difficult.

Methods of Privatization

Frederick W. Kwoba

Privatization has become the dominant economic theme in the structural adjustment reforms prescribed for Africa by the World Bank and the IMF. If privatization has been touted as the panacea to Africa's economic development problems, why is it at a standstill?

Information Systems

Why Governments Need Access to Computer Networks [Part 2]

George Sadowsky

Individuals and organizations working toward international connectivity for their countries need to demonstrate how having such connectivity will directly address the needs of government ministries and will contribute to achieving the development objectives of the country.

Environment Watch

The Environment Price of Oil : Petroleum Resource Development and the Nigerian Environment

Adebayo Aina & Tunde Akingbade

Oil exploration over the years has made Nigeria the seventh largest producer of oil in the world. The environmental impact of onshore and offshore petroleum exploitation and development operations is a matter of concern to the public, government, and the industry in Nigeria.