Health in Burundi
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Burundi is one of the poorest African countries, burdened by a high prevalence of communicable, maternal, neonatal, nutritional, and non-communicable diseases. The burden of communicable diseases generally outweighs the burden of other diseases.[1] Mothers and children are among those most vulnerable to this burden.[citation needed]
Civilians in Burundi have lived through years of conflict due to the civil war, leaving many civilians facing economic crisis. The government has had limited capacity to invest in the health system, so the health infrastructure is poor.[2]
The link between health and poverty is undeniable. Many Burundians do not have access to primary health care.[2] Despite this, the Human Rights Measurement Initiative[3] finds that Burundi is fulfilling what it should be for the right to health based on income levels.[4]
Burundi had the lowest consumption of antibiotics of any country in the world in 2015 with a rate of 4.4 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day.[5]
Health status
[edit]As of 2019, the average life expectancy in Burundi is estimated at 62 years, up from 49 years in 2000.[6]
Life expectancy in Burundi
[edit]Source:[7]
| 1 | Low life expectancy | About 62 years |
| 2 | Food insecurity | Lack of proper nutrition |
| 3 | Long term effects of malnutrition on children | Underweight children |
| 4 | Low sources | The population expected to double in 2050 |
| 5 | Low reproductive health services | Lack of contraceptives, no family planning program |
| 6 | Poverty | Vast majority of people live on less than $3.10 per day |
| 7 | HIV/AIDS | 84000 of people were living with this disease in 2016, most of them are sex workers and men who have sex with men, increased condom uses and antiretroviral therapy |
| 8 | Other infectious diseases | Malaria, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, measles |
| 9 | Environmental issues | Floods, droughts, landslides |
| 10 | Life expectancy is increasing | However, it is increasing, this is lower than other countries like USA |
Disability adjusted life years (DALYs)
[edit]As of 2019, the top five causes of DALYs per 100,000 of the population in Burundi for both sexes, of all ages, were maternal and neonatal diseases, respiratory infections and tuberculosis, enteric infections, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and malaria, and "other non-communicable" diseases.[1]
Child mortality (under 5 years)
[edit]The under-5 mortality rate in Burundi is 1.6 times higher than that WHO has estimated for the African region. As this list illustrates maternal and neonatal disorders are the first causes of DALYs but the death rate decreased from 100 deaths per 1000 live births in1996 to 80 deaths in 2016.[8]
These deaths have various causes but they have not been measured directly for each age group and gender. Research has shown that there are 3 main reasons for the hospitalization of children under 5 years. About 93% of all children aged 1 to 59 months old were hospitalized due to malaria, lung disease, or acute diarrhea. The malaria ratio was about 63%; this is why malaria is the main cause of death and hospitalization among choldren under five in Burundi.[8]
Various causes are playing a role in reducing the under-5 mortality rate. The government implemented a pilot program to increase deliveries in hospitals and reclaim the quality of antenatal care. Experienced nurses and skilled birth attendants can prevent maternal and neonatal deaths. Between the years 2004 and 2008 the proportion of children who were delivered in health facilities by qualified staff increased from 76% to 94%.[8]
HIV/AIDS
[edit]Jeanne Gapiya-Niyonzima was the first person from the country to publicly admit they had HIV.[9] She founded the National Association of Support for Seropositive and AIDS Patients (ANSS). It was the first civil organisation in the country to provide support and treatment, including anti-retroviral therapy, for people with HIV and AIDS within the country.[10]
Health policies
[edit]Abortion
[edit]Abortion in Burundi is only legal if the abortion will save the woman's life or if the pregnancy gravely endangers the woman's physical, or potentially mental, health. In Burundi, two certified physicians must agree that the pregnancy is threatened before providing medical assistance. Even in cases in which a practitioner has deemed that the pregnancy has endangered the woman, both the physician and woman may be subject to prison time and fines.[11]
Hospitals
[edit]There are 3 regional hospitals, 15 provincial hospitals, 33 district hospitals, and 509 health centers in Burundi.[12][13] Notable hospitals include:
- Bumerec Hospital[14]
- Bururi Hospital in Bururi Province[15]
- Clinic Prince Louis Rwagasore[14]
- Gitega Hospital (Gitega province, central Burundi)[15]
- Karuzi Hospital[15]
- KIRA Hospital[14]
- Matana Hospitals in Bururi Province[15]
- Muramvya Hospital (Muramvya province, central Burundi)[15]
- Muyinga Hospital[15]
- Ngozi Hospital (Ngozi Province, northern Burundi)[15]
- Polyclinic Central[14]
- Prince Louis Rwagasore Clinic in Bujumbura[15]
- Prince Regent Charles Hospital in Bujumbura, established in 1949[15]
- Roi Khaled Hospital (the Centre Hospitalo – Universitaire de Kamenge) in Bujumbura[15][14]
- Rumonge Hospital in Bururi Province[15]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "GBD Compare | IHME Viz Hub". vizhub.healthdata.org. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ a b Philips, M.; Ooms, G.; Hargreaves, S.; Durrant, A. (2004). "Burundi: a population deprived of basic health care". The British Journal of General Practice. 54 (505): 634–635. PMC 1324857. PMID 15517690.
- ^ "Human Rights Measurement Initiative – The first global initiative to track the human rights performance of countries". humanrightsmeasurement.org. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ^ "Burundi – HRMI Rights Tracker". rightstracker.org. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ^ "UK antibiotic consumption twice that of the Netherlands, WHO report finds". Pharmaceutical Journal. 14 November 2018. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- ^ "Life expectancy at birth, total (years) – Burundi | Data". World Bank. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ Global Health 101. Richard Skolnik.
- ^ a b c Imelda K, Moise (2018). "Causes of Morbidity and Mortality among Neonates and Children in Post-Conflict Burundi: A Cross-Sectional Retrospective Study". Children. 5 (9): 125. doi:10.3390/children5090125. PMC 6162533. PMID 30205549.
- ^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. ""Avant d'être infectés, nous sommes des hommes, nous sommes des femmes." | DW | 02.12.2019". DW.COM (in French). Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "ANSS : 20 ans de riposte à l'épidémie de VIH au Burundi". www.unaids.org (in French). Retrieved 4 February 2020.
- ^ Abortion policies: a global review. United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Development, United Nations. Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis. Population Division. New York: United Nations. 1992–1995. ISBN 92-1-151246-8. OCLC 26594264.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Burundi Health Indicators" (PDF). World Health Organization. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- ^ Elahi, Ebby, ed. (2021). Insights in Global Health, A Compendium of Healthcare Facilities and Nonprofit Organizations. Baca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. ISBN 9780367693466.
- ^ a b c d e "List of Medical Facilities/practitioners in Burundi". UK Government. 6 August 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Detention of Prisoners in Burundian Hospitals". Human Rights Watch. 7 September 2006. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
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