A Few Numbers...

Like the United States, Mozambique requires health care providers to report occurrences of selected contagious and high-profile diseases. The country’s local public health departments compile reports of these data, and submit them to the national ministry of health. Which, in turn, publishes a monthly  Boletim Epidemiologico Mensal (Monthly Epidemiological Report)..

Here are some numbers, as reported and published in the Boletim for this past September. (N.B.: As a point of reference Mozambique has approximately 20,000,000 citizens, in a country roughly the size of west coast of the US.)

Malaria is very rare in the states, about 1,100 cases per year, mostly occurring in people who have carried the infection with them from a foreign country. That’s a rate of  1:300 individuals. But, here in Mozambique, malaria dwarfs even HIV as a killer. In September, the health department reported 171,640 cases of Malaria and 89 deaths/ compared with 171,846 cases and 133 deaths in August. All in a population 1/15^th of the United States.

Meningitis  is another disease that has been successfully controlled in developed countries. Here in Mozambique we’ve reported 59 cases and 7 deaths in September. The Centers for Disease control reports about 4,100 cases annually in the states, with about 500 deaths. Not great, but, about half as many (on a per capita basis) as in Mozambique.

For more information on public health here in Mozambique, check out the department’s webside: http://www.misau.gov.mz/pt/epidemias_endemias/vigilancia_epidemiologica

Until Next Time (Ate Ja!)