Health in Malawi

Malawi ranks 170th out of 174 in the World Health Organization lifespan tables; 88% of the population live on less than £2.40 per day; and 50% are below the poverty line.

[2] According to the recent 2018 Census done by the National Statistical Office in Malawi, the country has a total population of 17.5 million people.

[8] There is a high degree of risk for major infectious diseases, including bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, malaria, plague, schistosomiasis and rabies.

[10] Due to the vast scope of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, many Malawian men believe that HIV contraction and death from AIDS are inevitable.

[11] Finally, some men identify as HIV-positive without having undergone testing for HIV, preferring to believe that they have already been infected so they can avoid adopting undesirable preventative measures such as condom use or strict fidelity.

[13] Men who choose their sexual partners based on external appearances and peer recommendations often believe that women who violate traditional gender norms by, for example, wearing modern clothing are more likely to carry HIV, while young girls, who are perceived as sexually inexperienced, are considered "pure".

[11] Because of this perception, many people are concerned that schoolchildren in Malawi, particularly girls, are becoming exposed to the virus through sexual harassment or abuse by their instructors.

[16] Higher malaria transmission occurs along Lake Malawi and the lowland areas of the lower Shire Valley.

[16] Resistance of anopheline vectors to insecticides has been extensively documented in Malawi, limiting the options for indoor residual spraying and raising concern regarding the continued effectiveness of insecticide-treated mosquito nets.

Knowledge and of family planning is almost universal in Malawi with 98% of women and nearly 100% of men age 15-49 knowing at least one method of contraception.

Mortality from many NCDs is on the rise worldwide, with a disproportionately larger burden in low-middle income countries (LMICs), where almost 3/4 of deaths globally occur from these causes.

[23] The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 13 state that there is need for all countries to Take Urgent Action to Combat Climate Change and Its Impacts.

[24] For the past years the country has been through a lot of climate related natural hazards such as increase in temperatures, floods, cyclones, droughts.

These unvaccinated people come into direct contact with cases of vaccine preventable diseases, which can cause outbreaks and other health problems in the population.

[27] The natural disasters also disrupt and degrade water and sanitation services which are vital in preventing and controlling waterborne diseases.

These include post-traumatic stress disorders due to the traumatic events they are exposed to during cyclones and other disasters.