Loading...
A STORY FROM MALAWILoading...
By Soumaia, Erica, Caterina and SilviaLoading...
SATURDAY'S TALK SHOW
When I was in Malawi, I was involved in helping women during pregnancy and childbirth.
55% of Malawi's 19,594,000 inhabitants are under 19 years of age. There are fewer than 400 doctors throughout the country for treatment, and among them, there are practically no paediatricians, except for some expatriates operating at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre. The intensity rate of diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and cholera are among the highest in the world and the national health system is currently unable to meet the needs of the population.
In Malawi, about 634 women per 100000 birth die out in childbirth.
The main causes are infections, hypertensive crisis and bleeding after childbirth.
The main causes are infections, hypertensive crisis and bleeding after childbirth.
In Malawi about 42 children per thousand die out each year before reaching one year of age, mainly due to malaria and malnutrition.
The intensity of transmission depends on factors related to the parasite, the vector, the human host, and the environment. Transmission is more intense in places where the mosquito lifespan is longer and where it prefers to bite humans rather than other animals. The long lifespan and strong human-biting habit of the African vector species is the main reason why approximately 90% of the world's malaria cases are in Africa.
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.