Global Paper

Health Care In Africa

Janel Swallia

0093399

English 102 035W

Leslie Jewkes

December 10^th, 2012

Abstract: Africa is full of problems. One of those being lack of health care. This will analyze the issues of AIDS and Ebola, as well as how many people are being killed by these problems every year. There are ways to help and different programs to donate money or to help will be discussed.

Africa has always been known to be war-torn. It has a reputation to be filled with disease, hunger, and pestilence. Health care in Africa is almost non-existent to most of its citizens. Disease such as AIDS and Ebola run rampant, and the African public does not have much to do against it. They do not have the health care like the United States has, and they have little survival rates. Something needs to be done, more relief efforts needs to be instituted. Giving money to these relief efforts is another huge factor, so that more things can be accomplished.

AIDS, a virus that attacks the immune system, is a virus that has become very common around the globe. Many countries have been learning how to deal with the problem, but Africa seems to have been hit the hardest with it. 

According to Malise Cross of the Gibbs Magazine the virus actually originated from Africa, “Many scientists now believe that AIDS appears to have started in Africa. The fact that several monkey and chimpanzee species found in Africa are infected with retroviruses that are closely related to HIV has led to the speculation that HIV arose from a simian (monkey or chimpanzee) derived retrovirus.” (Cross) This graph shows the leading causes of death in Africa. AIDS being the number one cause of death.

One virus that has seemed to have started in Africa as well is the Ebola virus. The Ebola virus is a virus that attacks the clotting system in the body; Ebola makes it so that the body bleeds from every part of the body. The last known outbreak of Ebola in Africa was actually fairly recent. The BBC News reported that, “A fresh outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Uganda has killed at least two people, the health minister has said.” (BBCNews) This was an article that was posted on November 15^th, 2012. The first bad outbreak of the Ebola virus was in 1976, “The Ebola virus was first associated with an outbreak of 318 cases of a hemorrhagic disease in Zaire. Of the 318 cases, 280 of them died—and died quickly. That same year, 1976, 284 people in Sudan also became infected with the virus and 156 died.” (Infoplease) This is a virus that kills up to 90% of its’ victims. The United States, however, has not left Africa alone to deal with these outbreaks. The Center for Disease Control has been doing their part to help with the cause, “In RESPONDING TO OUTBREAKS, a team of investigators from the CDC Special Pathogens Branch travels to Uganda. They work to bring the outbreak under control and learn more about the reservoir hosts for the Ebola and Marburg viruses.” Research in the United States is constantly being done in fear that is could spread in other parts of the world, more specifically areas that are high in population. The main priority seems to be keeping it isolated in Africa. With all of these outbreaks that keep happening in this country, the citizens need to be protected. Good health care is the only thing that can help.

Poor health care in Africa is a problem that is continually growing. Most of the citizens in South Africa do not have the access to any type of health care. The mortality rates keep rising, and the only thing that will make it slow will be to institute a health care system. A system that everyone would be able to afford, or to just use for free if need be.  A type of health care that is trying to be introduced is called the community-oriented primary care system or the COPC. “The COPC integrates both individualized and population-based care, utilizing the clinical skills of the practitioners concerned, blended with elements of epidemiology, preventive medicine, and health promotion.” (Maeseneer) Another type of health care that the African government are wanting to bring in is called the National Health Insurance, or the NHI. The NHI is a system that will ensure  all citizens of Southern Africa will have healthcare, despite the type of income they have. “Without NHI, the burden of disease in the country will not be reduced because the majority of the population – and the section suffering the greatest ill health – will not access good quality healthcare.” (Department of Health Republic of South Africa)

America is most definitely doing its part to help out Africa in regards to health care. One relief program, called AmeriCares, helps to stop the spread of disease. They also support hospitals, and make it possible for Africans to be able to get the help they deserve. “AmeriCares delivers medicines and supplies to care for patients with HIV/AIDS and protect health care workers from occupational exposure to the virus.” (AmeriCares) AmeriCares has options to where someone would be able to donate to the cause. This group does more work then just help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. They also work with the blind, help build better maternal health, and work with making the work safety better. A pastor from a local church had much to say in regards to relief programs like AmeriCares. Pastor Eld has traveled to countries with poor health care, and knows first hand the woes of disease. When asked about his thoughts of relief programs he had this to say, “I most certainly do feel like these programs do a lot of good. I’ve seen children dying, because they didn’t have the opportunity to receive health care. If we had more programs like these intact, I believe that it could save more lives.” (Eld)

Donating to relief programs can help fund opportunities to save multiple lives. They can help teach ways to prevent diseases like AIDS and Ebola. Cleanliness is a factor that needs to be instituted in countries like Africa, because poor hygiene is the start of many sicknesses. Health care is coming to the southern part of Africa, it is a slow process at the moment, but it is something that Africa is very keen in applying. By donating it can help fund the health care a lot quicker, these people need it more then ever. It is a right as a human being to be able to receive it, and they should not have to suffer just because they are unable to afford it themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Pastor Eld. Personal interview. 2 December 2012.

AmeriCares. Stamford, Connecticut, http://www.americares.org/wherewework/africa/

Department Health of South Africa. http://www.doh.gov.za/list.php?type=National%20Health%20Insurance

Maeseneer, Jan De. “Primary Health Care in Africa: More then Ever!” Afr J Prm Health Care Fam Med. 2009. Print. 1 December 2012

Cross, Malise. “When did AIDS begin?” Gibbs Magazine. 1999. Web. 1 December 2012.

infoPlease. “Africa’s Bloody Disease”. Web. 1 December 2012

“Ebola Outbreak In Uganda Kills Two”.  BBC News. 15 November 2012. Web. 1 December 2012.

“Responding to Outbreaks”. Video. 27 April 2009. Cdc.gov. Web. 1 December 2012

Hunter, Richard. “Human Immunodeficiency Virus and AIDS Statistics.” University of South Carolina. 1 July 2010. Web. 1 December 2012.