A Neglected and Dark Side of Africa
It is two hundred years plus since Henry Stanley labelled Africa a ‘dark continent.’ Back then, most Western explorers and missionaries were attracted to the region’s strangeness: Africa’s pristine environment was a curiosity, its inhabitants were unknown and its subsoil was treasure trove— with potential to power industrial revolutions. Today, the pejorative tag is out of fashion. Africa is increasingly rebranding itself as a ‘rising continent.’ Yet a dark scar continues to stick on its public health map. Unlike its exotic appeal, Africa’s hidden disease burden remains a product of policy neglect— collectively affecting the lives of its bottom 500 million citizens. This is more than half of its population-- in fact, even greater than Nigeria and South Africa combine. The World Health Organization has identified seventeen bio-medically dissimilar bacteria and parasitic infections which are linked together by their collective neglect in decisio...