Introduction
Africa is the second-largest continent in the world, with diverse cultures, resources, and history. According to Saleh (2022), the African population is nearly 1.4 billion. Several population-wide health concerns have long afflicted the continent. Over the past few decades, Africa has experienced several epidemics, including HIV/AIDS, Ebola, malaria, and chronic illnesses like diabetes and hypertension.
These health crises have impacted economic growth and progress and can be linked to socioeconomic and political factors. Africans suffer preventable and treatable disease-related fatalities compared to developed continents like Europe. With a specific focus on two case studies—HIV/AIDS and Ebola—this essay will analyze the factors contributing to these health crises on the continent.
Impact of Socioeconomic Factors on Health
Poverty
Poverty is one of the most significant socioeconomic factors contributing to the continent’s health crisis. Poverty can refer to a lack of access to basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, and education. Widespread poverty in Africa is the main factor contributing to increased health crises within the region. It can be measured by income per capita and the human development index. Estimates from household surveys by the World Bank show that the proportion of Africans subsisting on less than $1.90 a day decreased from 56% in 1990 to 43% in 2012 (Okunlola & Akinlo, 2021).
Poverty can be associated with health in various ways, such as a lack of access to healthcare and reduced ability to pay for health services offered in hospitals. Access to healthcare is a fundamental right; however, due to poverty, millions of Africans lack it. Individuals suffering from extreme poverty have no access to healthcare services and are thus likely to suffer and succumb to preventable diseases.
Due to poverty, the quality of care provided in Africa is poor since most individuals lack the essential skills and knowledge to access treatment. Moreover, in Africa, mental health is impacted by poverty, and the two are closely related, with persons living in poverty frequently exhibiting more significant psychological discomfort and mental health issues (Janse Van Rensburg et al., 2020). Along with poor nutrition, poverty can also result in mental health problems. Violence and substance misuse are also associated with poverty, and these two factors may negatively impact mental health.
Lack of Clean Water
The other social factor resulting in health crises on the continent is inadequate access to clean water and sanitation. Availability of safe drinking water and hygienic facilities will likely prevent the spread of waterborne diseases and other infections. However, with limited access to sanitation and clean water, health crises are likely to occur, resulting in increased mortality rates on the continent.
According to Bwire et al. (2020), in some places in Africa, the water’s physical and chemical characteristics make it unsafe to drink. Dehydration and sometimes lethal waterborne infections like diarrhea, cholera, and dysentery can result. Contaminated water can cause skin infections, intestinal parasites, and other health issues. Moreover, inadequate sanitation can lead to increased vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, which are prevalent in Africa.
Moreover, inadequate access to safe water sources and hygiene systems can lead to malnutrition. According to Baleni et al. (2022), poor hygiene habits, such as subsistence drinking of untreated surface water, can contaminate food, which can cause diarrhea, malnutrition, and even starvation. Similarly, people may need access to enough water to hydrate themselves and their families due to the restricted supply of clean water in some areas of Africa, which can result in dehydration.
Environmental Disasters
The danger of extreme weather events like droughts and floods, as well as more extended periods of heat and dehydration, has increased due to climate change, leading to more health crises across Africa. As a result, during the past few years, Africa has seen an increase in extreme weather events, water shortages, and unpredictable weather patterns. These modifications have disrupted traditional farming methods, which have led to crop failures, food instability, and hunger.
Changes in rainfall patterns and rising temperatures have also been attributed to the rise of vector-borne illnesses like malaria, dengue fever, and chikungunya, as well as waterborne diseases like cholera. Climate change has increased the number of mosquitoes in some areas, increasing malaria cases (Kulkarni et al., 2022). Climate change has worsened vulnerabilities such as poverty and malnutrition, resulting in poor living conditions and overcrowding.
The Impact of Political Factors on African Health Crises
Colonialism
The continent’s long history of health crises can be rooted in several political factors affecting development in the region. The most significant political factors resulting in increased crises include colonialism, poor governance, and a weak health system. These elements have produced a situation in which many Africans frequently lack access to health care, leading to health crises that still plague the continent today.
Colonialism has had a significant impact on the continent’s health crises. During colonial rule, the colonialists significantly exploited most African countries (Whiteside, 2019). The countries’ resources and people were exploited massively, resulting in economic and social inequality today.
This has contributed to widespread disparities in healthcare and poverty experienced by Africans. Moreover, the exploitation of resources resulted in the intense extraction of resources by the colonists rather than in the investment in the health and well-being of Africans. The colonialists invested in developing health systems and infrastructures that provided health for their citizens, thus neglecting Africans (Whiteside, 2019).
Health crises in Africa are significantly influenced by health inequality. Higher mortality and morbidity rates and poor outcomes for people with chronic diseases might result from disparities in access to healthcare. Access to immunizations and other preventative measures that can stop the spread of diseases is also uneven, which makes the issue worse. Colonial practices interrupted the traditional culture, resulting in alterations in diet and living conditions, increasing their susceptibility to infections.
Poor Public Health Infrastructure
Another significant cause of the health crises in the region has been the poor governance and public health infrastructure found in many African nations. Many African countries need more developed public health systems to meet the population’s health demands. This has led to inadequate care and treatment and a need for primary health care services. Furthermore, the absence of public health infrastructure has made it harder to respond to health emergencies like infectious diseases effectively and has increased the severity and spread of these problems.
Moreover, poor governance of the healthcare sector has resulted in limited funding and a lack of maintenance of health facilities. Limited funding of the healthcare sector has crippled efforts to train health professionals, most of whom prefer to operate from Europe. Most African governments allocate limited resources to healthcare and depend heavily on external donations. As a result, the healthcare sector has been crippled, making it more expensive for citizens.
Corruption
Increased corruption in Africa has affected healthcare delivery, resulting in increased health crises in the region. The vulnerable population, including marginalized groups and people experiencing poverty, is the most affected. For instance, women’s dependence on corrupted healthcare systems leaves them open to abuse and prevents them from accessing crucial treatments for child, reproductive, and contraceptive health (Kriel et al., 2019).
Corruption affects the fight against major diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS since funds to purchase medicines are likely channeled into greedy individuals’ pockets. Corruption is likely to limit a country’s ability to manage global and national health risks, resulting in most African countries depending on foreign aid. Without the aid, the effects of the disease might worsen the health crisis.
Political Instability
Conflict and political instability have accelerated the occurrence of health crises on the continent. Over the past two centuries, Africa has experienced numerous violent struggles, including civil wars, regional misunderstandings, and foreign interventions. These conflicts have devastated the population’s health because they frequently result in the collapse of the public health system, which reduces the availability of resources for healthcare services, lowers the standard of care, and increases the prevalence of preventable and treatable diseases.
In times of political instability, many people may not have access to healthcare facilities (Saleh & Fouad, 2022). Healthcare workers are likely to flee for their safety, limiting people’s access to care. Displacement and refugee crises brought on by conflict and instability have made people more susceptible to infectious diseases, hunger, and a lack of access to healthcare. In refugee camps, the conditions are likely unsanitary and overcrowded, resulting in increased infections.
Political conflict experienced in Africa has had long-term effects on the health care system. For instance, resources meant for health might be diverted to fund the purchase of firearms, which results in limited healthcare infrastructure, medicines, and human resources investment. Moreover, frequent civil wars in the region have slowed down technological development.
Lack of Technology
Most African regions lack access to the Internet and tend to use contemporary approaches to health. Most African nations are still developing and need better technology than developed countries. Due to the lack of vaccine production in Africa, African countries are likely to have low vaccine coverage. Moreover, developed countries have used artificial intelligence to predict outbreaks and taken earlier measures to limit effects (Kolozsvári et al., 2021).
On the contrary, Africa cannot predict such epidemics due to limited technology. There is a lack of skilled healthcare professionals from Africa because many choose to reside and work in nations like the United States and Europe. As a result, there is a healthcare delivery gap that technology might assist in addressing through public-private collaborations. Africa’s aspirations to attain sustainable development continue to be significantly hampered by its lack of technological capacity. This has led to fraudulent drugs, defective medical equipment, and a shortage of clinic air conditioning.
The HIV/AIDS Case Study
Impact
HIV/AIDS is one of Africa’s most significant health crises, affecting many Africans. The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa emerged in the early 1980s, first in nations close to the equator (Barin, 2022). Since then, it has spread to every region of the continent, with South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana having the highest prevalence rates.
Although HIV/AIDS severely threatens human health and welfare, it also worsens pre-existing issues like poverty, hunger, and a lack of access to high-quality healthcare. The spread of HIV/AIDs in Africa depends on wealth distribution and how countries are ruled. Its treatment requires resources that the governance of individual countries might impact.
Barely four decades after the disease was discovered, scientific innovations have transformed the disease’s perception from a fatal disease to an illness that can be managed by lifelong anti-retroviral therapy (ART). Despite the increase in ART consumption in the mid-2000s and reduced mortality rates, 60% of individuals from West and Central Africa and 34% of individuals from East and South Africa are not receiving any treatment (Dwyer-Lindgren et al., 2019).
As a result, HIV/AIDs remains the leading cause of mortality on the continent. The disease burden is highly concentrated in the sub-Saharan region, which reported 75% fatalities and 65% new infections in 2017 (Dwyer-Lindgren et al., 2019). The global community has advocated for adopting measures to end the spread of the disease and its effects. This has been advocated in Millennium Development Goal 6, which aims to eliminate malaria, HIV/AIDs, and other diseases. Despite this, the disease continues to spread, affecting the lives of many Africans.
Causes
The prevalence of the disease in Africa is primarily driven by poverty and inadequate access to healthcare services. Poverty and gender increased society’s vulnerability to HIV/AIDs. For instance, a woman might be more susceptible to HIV/AIDs since she might fail to control her sexual decision-making by saying no to sex to cater to her needs (Schmidt-Sane, 2022).
The rapid spread of HIV/AIDs among African countries can be due to the position of women in African societies. Women were viewed as having no rights in African societies and would not make sexual decisions independently (Wangamati, 2020). As a result, they would be forced into unprotected sex with men likely infected by the disease. Continental exploitation and colonization led to the increased spread of the disease.
Colonialism impacted the spread of HIV/AIDs since it instilled fear in Africans; thus, they would not seek healthcare services. According to Whiteside (2019), during colonialism, different sex patterns emerged, including multiple partnerships and sex with several partners, increasing the spread of the disease in the region. The migrant labor system created sufficient conditions for spreading the disease since migrant workers would engage in unprotected sexual intercourse with several partners, resulting in the spread of HIV/AIDs.
Knowledge and skill levels affected the spread of the disease in Africa. After the Europeans knew the mechanism of the disease, they developed educational campaigns such as “Do not die of ignorance” to warn their citizens of its effects (Whiteside, 2019). However, Africans were denied access to information and healthcare services after contracting the disease.
After the independence of most African states, the leaders failed to acknowledge the dangers posed by HIV/AIDs. This resulted from their governance, which has increased health crises on the continent (Whiteside, 2019). Instead, they shifted the resources meant for health to other sectors. Nelson Mandela stated that during his 1994 election campaigns, he wanted to become victorious but forgot to address HIV/AIDs (Whiteside, 2019).
As a result, the number of disease cases continued to rise in South Africa. Most African politicians used a denial strategy in their ruling. They did not want to face the disease since they felt stigmatized and threatened. For instance, Whiteside (2019) suggests that denial in South Africa began when Thabo Mbeki became the president. Thabo Mbeki denied that HIV might cause AIDs and that Zidovudine was unsafe for HIV/AIDs prevention (Whiteside, 2019). These claims would later result in reduced national expenditure on health and limited HIV/AIDs prevention campaigns, resulting in increased spread of the disease.
Ineffective Prevention
The most effective management of HIV/AIDs is prevention and care. However, due to limited resources in most African countries, prevention interventions are hampered. These interventions include health education, which is likely to require money and resources that are rare in Africa. Education of at-risk groups about the risks of risky behaviors, such as multiple sexual partners and unsafe sex, is a common focus of prevention efforts. These preventative measures are frequently used with initiatives to broaden access to screening, counseling, and care for people who have contracted the virus.
In terms of what it does to families and communities, HIV/AIDS has a wide-ranging influence. For instance, the passing of a parent who was the family’s breadwinner or another adult parent can leave the entire family unit without an economic source and vulnerable to poverty. HIV/AIDS-related illnesses and deaths significantly impair the labor force’s availability in the agricultural and other industries, lowering output and even threatening to disintegrate families. This is the reason why most African countries are poor.
The Ebola Case Study
Outbreak
One of the deadliest health crises in Africa is the Ebola outbreak. The 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa was significant in African history and was lethal, with more than 28,000 individuals being infected and more than 11,000 people succumbing to the disease (Keita et al., 2021). The spread of the disease was due to poverty and inadequate healthcare infrastructure.
According to Narashim (2022), one of the disease’s epicenters, Sierra Leone, has 53% of its citizens below the poverty line. The study further suggested that the country’s weak economy led to the spread of the disease. High population density contributed to Ebola’s extensive spread. Sierra Leone’s population density is as high as 110 per square kilometer. The increasing population has led to poor sanitary conditions, increased resource competition, and overcrowding. Moreover, it is likely to lead to increased human-human contact, increasing susceptibility to illness since it is a contact disease.
Causes
Increased mobility between country boundaries in Africa has facilitated the spread of health crises. People move across African borders seeking a steady income due to increased poverty in their countries. However, there is limited government surveillance of the borders. Such occurred on Sierra Leone’s border, where there was no surveillance, leading to the increased spread of Ebola in the region (Narashim, 2022). During the epidemic, improvement in the situation on the side of the border resulted in more people seeking medical attention. Moreover, unsafe burials in the region worsened the situation.
Political instability and constant conflicts have plagued the region affected by the disease. According to DuBose et al. (2021), some African countries affected by Ebola, such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, were experiencing political violence and civil conflict before the outbreak. As a result, their economies were weakened, and infrastructure, telecommunication, and transport systems were destroyed. Due to continued political unrest in these countries, a lack of trust in the government was expected. This resulted in limited funding of healthcare and attacks on healthcare workers.
Moreover, access to health information increases the spread of the disease since many individuals have misconceptions about the illness. Cultural beliefs and practices collided with control efforts, as evidenced by increased resistance among West African communities (DuBose et al., 2021). Most communities needed to familiarize themselves with the scientific control of Ebola and use contemporary approaches.
Solutions to the Challenges
African countries can use several strategies to reduce the burden of socioeconomic and political factors on health. Improved access to healthcare might reduce deaths resulting from preventable diseases. This move can be achieved by expanding the existing healthcare services, constructing roads to facilitate access to health institutions, and providing subsidies for individuals who cannot afford to pay for health. African governments should embrace public social health insurance schemes to facilitate payment for health services. Moreover, education plays an essential role in health since it can improve an individual’s knowledge of hygiene and health.
Extreme poverty impacts access to education in Africa. As a result, most individuals lack insight into the clinical manifestations of fatal diseases such as Ebola. African governments should run mass education campaigns targeting those from marginalized areas with limited access to education. Africans need to address the root causes of poverty, especially inequality, corruption, and conflict. By addressing all these issues, poverty rates in Africa are likely to be reduced, resulting in improved health.
Conclusion
Several factors, such as poverty, climate change, over-dependence on foreign aid, and colonialism, have contributed to the prevalent health crises in Africa. Lack of access to healthcare, poor governance, corruption, and lack of education have made Africa vulnerable to infectious diseases. The paper evaluated two case studies, Ebola and HIV/AIDs, which are typical examples of these factors that have resulted in increased health crises in Africa.
In the case of Ebola, it was evident that the disease spread significantly due to poverty and poor healthcare infrastructure. Moreover, a large population, like in the case of Sierra Leone, led to poor sanitation, increasing the chances of disease spreading. On the other hand, poverty and gender inequality are believed to increase the spread of HIV/AIDs. For instance, the position of women in African societies has contributed significantly to their infections. Admittedly, African countries must invest in healthcare and collaborate to address and prevent health crises.
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