Hello STEEMIT!!
Last week we took a peek into some of Uganda’s health issues through our “Effective Altruism” post. This week, we’ll elaborate more on Uganda’s medical resources and health problems: where Uganda’s medical care stands, and where it should be headed.
Medicine has developed rapidly during the past few decades and the global average life expectancy has more than doubled since 1900. Average life expectancy in USA has approached 80 years(Men 77, Women 82) and South Korea holds an even higher life expectancy(Men 79, Women 86). On the other hand, Uganda’s average life expectancy still remains at 60’s(Men 60, Women 64) and because 8 years are lost due to morbidity and disability, the average healthy life expectancy is 49 years.
Then, what are the main causes of death in Uganda?
(Source: WHO Uganda Health Profile http://www.who.int/gho/countries/uga.pdf?ua=1)
Unlike South Korea and USA, where stroke, ischemic heart disease, dementia and other chronic degenerative diseases account for much of deaths, AIDS, lower respiratory tract infections(such as tuberculosis), malaria, diarrheal diseases and other acute infectious diseases are leading causes of death in Uganda.
Though acute infectious diseases often deteriorate rapidly, they are also somewhat easier to prevent in advance and early aggressive treatment during the latency period can sway the outcome of the disease. With this in mind, let’s take a further look into AIDS and ponder over ways to improve Uganda’s present health issues.
The story continues...
Sources & References:
http://www.who.int/gho/countries/uga.pdf?ua=1
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