In On Africa (IOA)’s Post

Did You Know? #Africa is losing $153 billion every year to undernutrition. This crisis does not just affect individuals - it holds back entire nations. Millions of children under five of age have stunted growth, are born with low birth weight, or suffer from micronutrient deficiencies such as anaemia. These conditions rob them of their potential and, in turn, drag down Africa’s future workforce, affecting economic growth. The human cost is staggering: · Over 800,000 child deaths every year. · 12,800 maternal deaths and 127 million IQ points lost.   · Billions in lost productivity and healthcare costs. In a time where every dollar counts, this is an economic and human crisis that cannot be ignored. We cannot afford to wait. The time to act is now! The new Cost of Inaction Tool from Nutrition International provides country-level data to inform advocacy, policy decisions, and investments by decision-makers. 🔗: https://lnkd.in/diH26GCf Explore the Cost of Inaction Tool to see how YOU can help advocate for policies and investments that will secure a healthier, more prosperous future for Africa. 🔗: https://lnkd.in/dd5gtGF9 #Nutrition | #InvestInNutrition | #PublicHealth | #GlobalHealth | #Anemia | #NutritionSecurity | #AfricaRising | International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

Great insights! This, together with other in-country tools should inform actions, advocacy and accountability at different levels of decision making!. In-line with the global SDGs and other irredicible human rights,we should seek to end this unfortunate cycle.

Great insights on the devastating impact of undernutrition in Africa. The statistics are a powerful reminder of the human and economic toll this crisis continues to take. Leveraging tools like the Cost of Inaction Tool from Nutrition International is crucial to guide impactful decisions, investments, and policies. It’s time for everyone—governments, organizations, and individuals—to prioritize nutrition and invest in solutions that will save lives, boost productivity, and help Africa rise. The cost of inaction is too high, and the time to act is now! #Nutrition #InvestInNutrition #GlobalHealth #Africa

📢 Cholera in Zambia: It’s Time to Be Proactive, Not Reactive! 📢 Year after year, cholera reappears in Zambia like a recurring event on our calendar. We respond as if it's a surprise, but it's predictable—just like a traditional ceremony we know is coming. Instead of preventing the problem, we keep scrambling to contain it when it arrives, as if we’re mopping a floor while leaving the tap running. Our focus must shift! Health professionals, the Ministry of Health, and our communities need to join hands to create proactive strategies that stop cholera in its tracks before it spreads. A lasting solution to notifiable diseases is possible, but it requires commitment, preventive action, and resource investment at every level. Let’s build a healthier, cholera-free Zambia! 🌍💪 #ProactiveHealth #StopCholera #PreventNotifiableDiseases #HealthForAll —Sachifuma Benn

The World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Regional Director Dr Hanan Balkhy have concluded this week a two-day mission to Port Sudan. Both WHO leaders have reaffirmed WHO's commitment to reaching all Sudanese in need and called on the international community to #urgentlyact to end the extreme health and #humanitariancrisis. During their visit, Dr Tedros and Dr Balkhy met with Sudanese leaders and the discussions centered on the #devastatingimpact of the ongoing #sudaneseconflict and the critical need for #unhinderedhumanitarianaccess to ensure that #lifesaving aid reaches all those in need, regardless of their location. “The international community has seemingly forgotten about Sudan and is paying little heed to the conflict tearing it apart, with serious repercussions for the region,” Dr Tedros said during a press conference held in Port Sudan. He added: “We are calling on the world to wake up and help Sudan out of the nightmare it is living through. ... We must not fail the people of Sudan.” If you can, help Sudan by donating at https://lnkd.in/dBBaKse8 WHO Foundation for WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO) World Health Organization #emergencyresponse #emergencypreparedness #healthforall #allforhealth

12 December Today is Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day #UHCDay As we mark Universal Health Coverage Day, emphasizing the right to #healthforall, it is impossible to ignore the devastating health emergency unfolding in Sudan. The ongoing conflict has pushed the country’s healthcare system to the brink of collapse, leaving millions of people without access to essential health services. • Over 70% of hospitals in conflict-affected areas are out of service, forcing many to travel long distances or go without care altogether. • More than 25 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, with healthcare services among the most urgent priorities, making this the largest crisis of its kind in the world today. • Millions of children are at risk of preventable diseases due to a breakdown in vaccination programs. Cholera, malaria, and dengue fever are spreading rapidly due to unsafe water, unhygienic living conditions, displacement and overcrowded shelters. • 4 million children under 5 years are acutely malnourished, with over 1 million children facing severe acute malnutrition (SAM), a life-threatening condition. • Pregnant and lactating women are among the most vulnerable, with over 2.3 million at risk of malnutrition, jeopardizing the health of both mothers and newborns. • Food insecurity has skyrocketed, with 20 million people facing hunger due to disrupted supply chains, soaring food prices, and loss of livelihoods. • Over 5.6 million people have been displaced, many seeking refuge in neighboring countries, overwhelming their health systems as well. Healthcare workers in Sudan are heroically working under dire conditions, often without salaries, medical supplies, or protection. Yet the challenges they face are monumental, and international support is urgently needed to rebuild the health infrastructure and provide life-saving interventions. On this UHC Day, I urge the global community to not only reaffirm the commitment to health for all but also take immediate action to support countries like Sudan, where access to healthcare has become a matter of life and death. Let’s amplify this message and push for sustainable, inclusive health systems worldwide, starting with urgent responses in crisis-hit regions like #Sudan. #UniversalHealthCoverageDay #HealthForAll #SudanCrisis #KeepEyesOnSudan #GlobalHealth #HumanitarianAction

💡 As of 2024, #typhoid fever remains a significant public #health issue worldwide, particularly in developing countries. According to data from the World Health Organization (#WHO), approximately 9 million people contract typhoid each year, leading to about 110,000 deaths. #TyphoidFever is caused by #SalmonellaTyphi and is primarily transmitted through contaminated food or water. With the trends of urbanization and climate change, the global burden of typhoid appears to be on the rise. Additionally, the increase in antibiotic resistance is making typhoid more prevalent in communities lacking safe drinking water or adequate sanitation facilities. 🌍 The burden of typhoid is particularly heavy in sub-Saharan Africa. A four-year study known as the Severe Typhoid in Africa (SETA) initiative has provided new estimates of the typhoid burden from six countries: Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, and Nigeria. In these countries, the observed annual case rate per 100,000 population exceeds 100 cases, which is considered a high burden. The highest incidence of typhoid is found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 315 cases per 100,000 population, and children aged 2-14 years are at the highest risk across all 25 study sites. 🔎 More information: https://lnkd.in/g5Ygb5bu #RapidTest #Medical #healthy #WorldHealth #medicaltreatment #IVD #TyphoidTesting

I copied the exact post. Nothing to say more #Sudan is like my home. The health and humanitarian situation in the country saddens me very much. I am also sad that the crisis is not getting the attention it deserves from the international community. I visited a World Health Organization-supported pediatric facility in Port Sudan, which provides life-saving care for infants suffering from acute malnutrition. I was shaken by the state of many of the tiny, wasted children, and stunned by the harrowing accounts of their mothers who have been displaced multiple times due to the insecurity, thankful at least to find refuge at this clinic. I visited the Shagya site where internally displaced people from various parts of the country gather and can access essential primary health care services, being delivered at another WHO-supported health facility. According to the available data, Sudan’s conflict has so far killed more than 20,000 people -- which is an underestimate, displaced over 10 million people inside the country, and forced another 2 million to flee to neighbouring countries. This is the largest internal displacement of people in the world today. The scale of the emergency is shocking, as is the insufficient action being taken to curtail the conflict, and respond to the suffering it is causing. We are calling on the world to wake up and help Sudan out of the nightmare it is living through. What do we need? 1) We need an immediate ceasefire, leading to a lasting political solution. The best medicine is peace. 2) We need to protect health facilities, health workers and patients – health should not be targeted. 3) We need sustained access to deliver supplies and aid. 4) We need to scale up disease surveillance; in some states, we are blind to what is happening due to the insecurity on the ground. 5) We need to scale up vaccination coverage against cholera, polio, measles and other diseases spreading in affected areas. 6) We need a massive increase in finances from the international community to scale up the response. If we do this, we will save millions of lives and deliver hope for this proud country. We must not fail the people of Sudan.

#Sudan is like my home. The health and humanitarian situation in the country saddens me very much. I am also sad that the crisis is not getting the attention it deserves from the international community. I visited a World Health Organization-supported pediatric facility in Port Sudan, which provides life-saving care for infants suffering from acute malnutrition. I was shaken by the state of many of the tiny, wasted children, and stunned by the harrowing accounts of their mothers who have been displaced multiple times due to the insecurity, thankful at least to find refuge at this clinic. I visited the Shagya site where internally displaced people from various parts of the country gather and can access essential primary health care services, being delivered at another WHO-supported health facility. According to the available data, Sudan’s conflict has so far killed more than 20,000 people -- which is an underestimate, displaced over 10 million people inside the country, and forced another 2 million to flee to neighbouring countries. This is the largest internal displacement of people in the world today. The scale of the emergency is shocking, as is the insufficient action being taken to curtail the conflict, and respond to the suffering it is causing. We are calling on the world to wake up and help Sudan out of the nightmare it is living through. What do we need? 1) We need an immediate ceasefire, leading to a lasting political solution. The best medicine is peace. 2) We need to protect health facilities, health workers and patients – health should not be targeted. 3) We need sustained access to deliver supplies and aid. 4) We need to scale up disease surveillance; in some states, we are blind to what is happening due to the insecurity on the ground. 5) We need to scale up vaccination coverage against cholera, polio, measles and other diseases spreading in affected areas. 6) We need a massive increase in finances from the international community to scale up the response. If we do this, we will save millions of lives and deliver hope for this proud country. We must not fail the people of Sudan.

Can the healthcare sector in Africa ever get better… You would think I am a woman in labour, travailing in pains until the baby is delivered I am often left to think that things can never get better in the health sector of Africa. Could I be wrong? Can there be a remedy? Why must it be Africa? Ebola, Lassa Fever, MPox, name it... Can the health care sector in Africa ever get better? What measures can be put in place to curb this menace? These birth pangs are becoming more intense. Before we start talking about government policies, can we give a progress report on how beneficial it has been? What roles can individuals play? Is there a way out? Please I really need your input on this. #Heathequity #20dayslinkedinchallengewithhaoma