African health 'needs investment'

Rates of death during childbirth and among young children are increasing, the World Health Organisation found.

Some 90% of world malaria cases and 60% of people with HIV/Aids are found in Africa, the report said.

The study, the first to look at health trends among 738 million Africans, said more investment was needed to cut disease and tackle poverty.

"African countries will not develop economically and socially without substantial improvements in the health of their people," the report said.

Fragile continent

Among the improvements highlighted in the report was the greater availability of anti-retroviral drugs used to treat people with HIV/Aids.

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The numbers of people receiving anti-retroviral treatment increased eight-fold from 2003 to 2005, the report said, and now stands at more than 800,000.

While cases of diseases such as polio and leprosy have been reduced to negligible levels, the report acknowledges the growth of "lifestyle" medical conditions such as heart disease and stroke.

Better access to basic sanitation is also needed; the report says only 58% of people in sub-Saharan Africa have access to safe water supplies.

"We know what the challenges are, and we know how to address them," said Luis Gomes Sambo, regional director for the WHO.

"But we also need to recognise that Africa's fragile health systems represent an enormous barrier to wider application of the solutions highlighted in this report," he added.

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