Health Issues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
5.4 million people died in the Congo war and 3.6 million were caused by disease, The vast majority have actually died from non-violent causes such as malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia and malnutrition. Malnutrition was a big threat in the war as not much food could travel and farms had to be abandoned. 45,000 people died each month continuously during the conflict. Here are some facts about the main killers of the Congolese Wars,
Pneumonia Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs, caused by bacteria or viruses. Anyone of any age can be affected, but children under the age of four years are very susceptible. Certain people can be immunised against one of the most common types of bacterial pneumonia. The lungs are filled with thousands of tubes, called bronchi, which end in smaller sacs called alveoli. If a person has pneumonia, the alveoli in one or both lungs fill with pus and fluids. This effects gas exchange (breathing and in the blood because your blood needs oxygen). This leads to a collapsed lung. The symptoms of pneumonia depend on the age of the person, the cause and severity of the infection, and any existing problems with immunity. Some of the symptoms may be: - Rapid breathing - Breathing difficulties - Fever - General malaise - Loss of appetite - Abdominal pain - Headache - Chest pain - Cough - Blue colouration of the skin around the mouth (cyanosis), caused by lack of oxygen.
Malaria Malaria does most of the killing! Malaria can be life threatening – early treatment is very important Treatment consists of various anti-malarial medications, depending on the species of parasite and any associated medication resistance. Malaria is an infection characterised by fever, shivering, chills and generally feeling unwell, but may also present in a less typical manner. Malaria is caused by any of four different species of the Plasmodium parasite, passed on via the bite of an infected mosquito. Congo war started and ended in August 2, 1998 – July 18, 2003 Malaria involves a mosquito infecting two hosts a human and a female mosquito or Anopheles. In humans, the parasites grow and multiply first in the liver cells and then in the red cells of the blood, then parasites infect and brake down the red cells also producing daughter parasites. After 10-18 days the mosquitos are found (as "sporozoites") in the mosquito's salivary glands. When theAnophelesmosquito takes a blood meal on another human and then the cycle happens again. Thus the mosquito carries the disease from one human to another (acting as a "vector"). Differently from the human host, the mosquito vector does not suffer from the presence of the parasites.