Health Issues in Tanzania
• Health is a huge problem for both adults
and children in rural Africa.............
• .......1 in 10 children do not reach
their 5th Birthday
Children- Biggest Killers
• Malnutrition due to poverty
•Dehydration due to vomiting and
diarrhoea
•Measles
•Pneumonia- Includes Acute Respiratory
Infection and TB
•Transmission of HIV from mother to child
Adults- Biggest Killers
• Malaria
• HIV and AIDS- 2.2 million people
in Tanzania are living with HIV
and AIDS: - Population of
Musoma= 120,000
18,000 HIV+
• TB and Pneumonia (many
sufferers will be HIV+)
• Problems in childbirth- 29% rural
girls aged 15-19yrs have given
birth/pregnant
Some Stories- Burns
Happiness and Joseph
-Many burns occur in villages due to open
charcoal fires and hot water
-If left unattended these become infected
and scar badly causing disabilities
....success stories
Success stories....
Dirty Water- Luca- 15yr Old boy
Lack of clean
water made Luca
very ill
He had:
1. Typhoid,
2. Intestinal
worm,
3. Bilharzia,
4. Epilepsy and
5. Malaria
Success story- Luca- could play in the
football tournament!
Before he
met the
team Luca
slept with
the
chickens....
.....The team
provided
him with a
mattress , a
bed and
medical care
Malaria and Dirty water-Wilson 15 yrs old
Wilson had high temperature and
swollen stomach
Cared for by his elderly BLIND
grandmother
Had an enlarged spleen due to sickle
cell anaemia. He had recurrent
malaria, Bilharzia, Typhoid and
Intestinal worms
The team provided him with a bednet,
mesh on the windows to prevent
malaria, medical care including blood
transfusions, food and clean water
Wilson’s hospital
Wilson and the Team
Care for the Terminally Ill- Mkami – 38yrs old
-Very swollen abdomen
due to cancer
-The team provided
support with medicines,
frequent hospital visits,
a mattress and bed- to
make her more
comfortable, food, bed
net, new clothing and a
bible!
Providing clean water and
adequate sanitation
Water
Dirty water causes- Diarrhoeal disease, (inadequate washing of cooking
utensils and poor hygiene)
-Cholera
-Typhoid
-Intestinal worms
- Bilharzia
-Hepatitis A
Water- Personal Hygiene
Trachoma
(bacterial eye
infection caused
by flies which can
lead to blindness)
Fungal
infections
The F Diagram
illustrating faecal to oral contamination
sanitation
water quality
fluids
fields
food
faeces
new host
flies
fingers
hand washing
water quality
Schools
Impact of girls in education...
Enables them to make informed choices about their health.
They get immunisations and health treatment for themselves
and their babies. Reduces child mortality as better informed
about caring for themselves during pregnancy
Can earn20% more wages improving family nutrition and
health and therefore reducing poverty.
They are more likely to avoid HIV . Studies show girls in
secondary education are 3 times less likely to be HIV+
Higher chance of not being exploited and forces into early
marriage
Educated girls are inclined to give birth to less children. For
every 4 years additional education they have 1 less pregnancy.
DFID 2011
Sanitation
Sanitation stops the cycle of
contamination from fields so
the water tables are not
polluted,
and children in bare feet are
more likely to carry
infections from faeces into
their homes.
School Toilet Block- Pit latrines
Inadequate sanitation
increases:
1.Diarrhoeal diseases
2.Spread of intestinal worms
3. Lack of dignity and safetyespecially for girls
How schools are affected by lack of clean
water and inadequate sanitation...
• Children are required to collect water during class time for
use at school
• This means they miss hours of lesson time each day
• The water is needed to clean the toilets, and for drinking by
both teachers and pupils
• The water collected is often contaminated causing water–
bourne diseases which impact their performance at school
• Many pupils walk long distances and do not drink ALL day
until they go home in the evening
• HALF of all girls drop out of school because of no water or
sanitation at school.
• An ADDITIONAL 10% of girls of puberty age do not attend
school during mensturation
Providing schools with clean water, sanitation
and hygiene education .....
• It improves Children‘s learning and school experience : They
concentrate better, miss less school , spend more time
learning and it increases dignity and safety
New Projects
• Working with the Swiss Charity ‘CARITAS’
building water tanks and pit latrines for
schools and learning widely accepted health
education techniques……
Annatina and Hezbon
A 15,000 litre water tank for Mkono
school
Training community health workers in
remote villages
Lots of healthy children in our village