WHO lauds Africa’s progress in malaria, HIV control

The World Health Organisation (WHO), has
commended the African region for making
significant progress in malaria control in the last
five years.
Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO Regional Director
for Africa, in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday,
said malaria incidence and mortality rates had
declined by 42 per cent and 66 per cent
respectively between 2000 and 2015.
Moeti made the commendation in Kigali,
Rwanda, while speaking at the First Africa Health
Forum, launched by WHO, Africa and the
Government of Rwanda.
She said for the first time, a malaria vaccine has
been launched by the organisation offering
partial protection for children, especially those
vulnerable to the disease.
Moeti said domestic governments from the WHO
African region contributed over $528 million to
support the fight against the disease in 2015.
She said the number of adults and children
newly infected with HIV in the region has also
declined by 19 per cent in the last five years;
from 1.63 million to 1.37 million.
According to her, the region is on the verge of
eradicating polio; HIV treatment scale-up is
continuing with an estimated 12.1 million
people receiving anti retroviral therapy (ART) by
the end of 2015.
The regional director noted that the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) era contributed to
many of the successes in the fight against these
diseases.
“By the end of 2015, maternal mortality in the
Region fell by 45 per cent from the year 2000,
and newborn deaths dropped by 38 per cent
during the same period.
“Although there had been major improvements
over the last decade, there are still critical health
issues that need to be discussed and tackled in
order to bring the 2063 vision of health and well
being into reality.
“Africa has the advantage; as the world is
getting older, our population is getting younger.
“There is so much potential to harness this
vitality and energy to create health systems that
suit all.
“We need to act now to safeguard the health of
the youths by creating youth-friendly health
services and encouraging healthy lifestyles.
“We want our youths to not just be beneficiaries
of services, but to be with us at the decision-
making table as we partner across sectors for a
more prosperous, sustainable future for
everyone in Africa,” Moeti said.
She emphasised the need to work with the
private sector, African philanthropists and youths
to tackle these challenges and get concrete
results in improving the health of the people.
Anastase Murekezi, the Prime Minister of
Rwanda, was quoted as saying “partnerships
and stronger collaboration are critical for better
access to quality, affordable healthcare for
everyone in Africa.
He said being healthy is the basis for all socio-
economic development, adding that without it
nothing will work.
According to Murekezi, for this reason, African
countries must work together and share
experiences which will translate the 2063 vision
of health and well being into reality.
He, therefore, called on countries in the region
to set up strategies that would help them
implement the resolutions from the forum.
He urged the private sector in Africa to invest
more in the health sector, while appealing to
other stakeholders to support the regions effort.
“With a rising young population, the urgent need
for concrete actions to address the health of
youth and adolescents will be central to the
discussions at the two day forum.
“Africa is the only region in the world where the
population as a whole is getting younger.
People under the age of 18 make up 50 per cent
of the population in 15 countries in sub-Saharan
Africa.
“However, despite the vitality of youths, HIV has
disproportionately affected African children and
adolescents; during the 30 years of the global
HIV epidemic, around 17 million children lost
one or both parents to AIDS.
“90 per cent of these children live in sub-
Saharan Africa.
“In addition, the growth of non-communicable
diseases (NCD) in Africa has seen a rise in NCD-
related deaths of 27 per cent over the last 10
years.
“If this growth continues, there will be an
obvious knock-on effect on the health of young
people in Africa,” the prime minister said.
The theme of the forum is “Putting People First:
The Road to Universal Health Coverage in
Africa”.