Africans now live longer – report

PROGRESS: DEATHS FROM TOP 10 HEALTH RISKS HALVED

Life expectancy has risen in Africa from 50.9 years in 2012, to 53.8 years in 2105, according to a new report released by the United Nations World Health Organisation (WHO).

However, the report, released during the 68th session of the WHO regional committee in Dakar, also stated that national health systems must be improved to ensure services get to the people who need them most.

Deaths resulting from the 10 biggest health risks in Africa, such as lower respiratory infections, HIV and diarrhoeal diseases, dropped by half between 2000 and 2015, partly as a result of specialised health programmes.

But the report warned that the achievement in longer life expectancy could only be sustained and expanded if health services are significantly improved, and that the performance of health systems in the region – measured by access to services, quality of care, community demand for services and resilience to outbreaks – is low.

Chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer need to be tackled, with a person aged 30 to 70 having a one in five chance of dying from a noncommunicable disease. And adolescents and the elderly are being under-served, with surveys finding a complete lack of elder care in a third of African countries.