Global health market survey

Some of the biggest problems facing Africa and the developing world are malnutrition, contaminated water, and the HIV and AIDS pandemic.  Millions of people are malnourished and are dying from opportunistic diseases such as tuberculosis and cholera, often as a consequence of HIV infection, and full-blown AIDS.

As Peter Piot, the current executive director of UNAIDS notes: ‘The top priority of the majority of Africans living with HIV and AIDS is not care, not drugs for treatment, not stigma, but FOOD’ .

“Sub-Saharan Africa has just over 10% of the world’s population, but is home to more than 60% of all people living with HIV—25.8 million.  In 2005, an estimated 3.2 million people in the region became newly infected, while 2.4 million adults and children died of AIDS.  Southern Africa remains the epic centre of the global AIDS epidemic.” (www.unaids.org)

Malnutrition

Labelled as the single largest contributor to disease by the UN's standing committee on nutrition, malnutrition is the result of inadequate dietary intake, infection, or both. It is more about quality than quantity of food.  

Even if people get enough to eat, they will become malnourished if the food does not provide the proper amounts of micronutrients - vitamins and minerals - to meet daily nutritional requirements. Each form of malnutrition depends on what nutrients are missing in the diet, for how long and at what age.  

The most basic kind is called protein energy malnutrition. It results from a diet lacking in energy and protein because of a deficit in all major macronutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

Marasmus is caused by a lack of protein and energy with sufferers appearing skeletally thin. In extreme cases, it can lead to kwashiorkor, in which malnutrition causes swelling all over the body as well as on the face.

Other forms of malnutrition are less visible, but not less deadly. They are usually the result of vitamin and mineral deficiencies (micronutrients), which can lead to anaemia, scurvy, pellagra, beriberi, exophthalmia, and ultimately death.

Deficiencies of iron, vitamin A, iodine, and zinc are ranked among the World Health Organization's (WHO) top 10 leading causes of death in developing countries:  

           Iron deficiency is the most prevalent form of malnutrition worldwide, affecting billions of people. Iron forms the molecules that carry oxygen in the blood, so symptoms of a deficiency include tiredness and lethargy. Lack of iron in large segments of the population severely damages a country's productivity. Iron deficiency also impedes cognitive development, affecting 40-60 percent of children aged 6-24 months in developing countries (source: Vitamin & Mineral Deficiency, a global damage assessment report, UNICEF).

        Vitamin A deficiency weakens the immune systems of a large proportion of children under five years old that live in poor countries, increasing their vulnerability to disease. A deficiency in vitamin A, for example, increases the risk of dying from diarrhea, measles and malaria by 20-24 percent. Affecting 140 million preschool children in 118 countries and more than seven million pregnant women, it is also a leading cause of child blindness across developing countries (source: UN Standing Committee on Nutrition's 5th Report on the World Nutrition Situation, 2005)

          Iodine deficiency affects 780 million people worldwide. The clearest symptom is a swelling of the thyroid gland called Goitre. But the most serious impact is on the brain, which cannot develop properly without iodine. According to UN research, some 20 million children (source: Vitamin & Mineral Deficiency, a global damage assessment report, UNICEF) are born mentally impaired because their mothers did not consume enough iodine. The worst-hit suffer cretinism, associated with severe mental retardation and physical stunting. 

          Zinc deficiency contributes to growth failure and weakened immunity in young children. It is linked to a higher risk of diarhea and pneumonia, resulting in nearly 800,000 deaths per year.

           The control of vitamin and mineral deficiencies, together with the intake of protein is one of the most advanced scientific developments in recent years.  Probably no other technology available today offers as large an opportunity to improve lives and accelerate development as such low cost and in such a short time

        Malnutrition due to vitamin, mineral and protein deficiencies is one of the biggest threats to immune deficiencies; it increases susceptibility to diseases, lowers life expectancy, decreases productivity and increases the economic burden on societies.

          Malnutrition and resulting hunger cause suffering to millions of people around the world, and the functional consequences are very serious.  The challenge lies in recognizing the extent of the problem and the seriousness of this hidden threat.

            Eliminating vitamin, mineral and protein deficiencies is a challenge that can be met. 

            Investment in addressing malnutrition is considered one of the best development “bargains”, as highlighted in the recent Copenhagen Consensus process.  The cost is relatively low and the methods are straightforward.  Effective means of controlling malnutrition are increasingly available based on development-related technological advances in recent years.  Food fortification is one of the easiest and fastest ways to improve people’s lives on a large scale and to accelerate development.

           Successfully combating vitamin and mineral deficiencies will require effective multi-stakeholder partnerships.  The food industry is a vital partner in the fight against poverty and malnutrition through engagement in corporate social responsibility and food fortification initiatives. 

Contaminated Water

The Importance of Quality Water

Water is essential to all aspects of life, yet 99% of the water on earth is unsafe or not fit for human consumption. Some 1.2 billion people globally don’t have access to sufficient safe water and 2.5 billion do not have access to adequate sanitation. It is estimated, that 9,500 children die world-wide every day from water-related diseases and a lack of clean drinking water. Water is an economic issue as it is essential for poverty reduction, agriculture, food, and energy production. 

South Africa specifically, as an economy, is constrained by water scarcity, and increasingly by deteriorating water quality. As this issue can limit future economic development, it is treated as a strategic issue. The prevalence of *HIV/AIDS is also an important factor, highlighting the need to have access to clean water and sanitation as a foundation for human health.

What is Quality Water?

Obtaining quality water would seem to be an easy task, since approximately 70% of the earth is covered by water. Quality water for human consumption is classified as clean, safe drinking water that is free from harmful bacteria and organisms, especially free from waterborne diseases such as typhoid and cholera. 

Waterborne diseases

Waterborne diseases present a range of syndromes, including acute dehydrating diarrhea (cholera), prolonged febrile illness with abdominal symptoms (typhoid fever), acute bloody diarrhea (dysentery), and chronic diarrhea (Brainerd diarrhea).

Many deaths among infants and young children are due to dehydration, malnutrition, or other complications of waterborne bacterial infections.

The common bacteria that cause the mentioned diseases are known as: Vibrio cholerae, Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, and the diarrheogenic Escherichia coli.

HIV/AIDS

Africa is undoubtedly the most hit region in the world within regards to the spread of the *HIV/AIDS epidemic. It is also the least influential region in regards to the development and implementation of structured programs aimed at controlling this issue.

At the end of 2005, about 24.5 million people were carrying the HIV/AIDS virus and about 2.7 million new infections were recorded for that same year. According to a UNAIDS report on the Global AIDS Epidemic the number of people that died from HIV in 2006 is estimated to be about 2 million. As a result, more than 12 million children were orphaned.

Fortunately, awareness is starting to grow and African leaders are taking the necessary steps in order to create a coordinated approach to the issue. National control programs for HIV/AIDS are being implemented in almost all of the African countries. In order to grant access to treatment, HIV prevention packages are being developed and more and more emphasis is being placed on research.

Funding for HIV/AIDS control in Africa has been increasing. In 2001, the Global Fund to fight AIDS was created, and since, approved grants totalled $3.3 billion. Also, the US Government’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief allocated USD 1.1 billion in 2005 for HIV/AIDS control in some African countries.

According to a UNAIDS/WHO report, it is estimated that 5.7 million people (adults and children) in India are living with HIV/AIDS at the end of 2005. Moreover, there are 1.2 million orphans because of the epidemic. India is the second largest hub after South Africa with HIV/AIDS. The Indian government is nevertheless trying to counter the epidemic. In 2004 the national Antiretroviral Therapy program was launched. It is expected to become more efficient as human and financial resources become available.

In collaboration with the Chinese government, WHO and UNAIDS estimated that about 650,000 people were living with HIV in China in 2005. Their study also indicated that 75,000 of these people were AIDS patients. During 2005, 70,000 new HIV infections were recorded and 25,000 AIDS deaths. What is important to note is that estimates of future infections indicate that the epidemic’s burden will be much higher by 2010 with 10 to 20 million HIV positive Chinese..

National HIV prevalence (the proportion of the population who are living with HIV) is now estimated to be at least 1% in Belize, Guyana, Honduras and Suriname. However, in most countries HIV is not generalized but is highly concentrated in populations at particular risk. Despite a national prevalence below 1%, Brazil (by far the region's most populous country) accounts for around 40% of people living with HIV in Latin America. In some Brazilian cities, more than 60% of drug users are HIV positive.

HIV/AIDS in Sub Saharan Africa

Source: http://www.avert.org/subaadults.htm

* Insufficient data available for Liberia