Lower respiratory infections were the leading cause of death in Africa in 2021. Lower respiratory infections accounted for 8.6 percent of all deaths in Africa that year, followed by malaria, which was responsible for 6.5 percent of deaths. Although HIV is not one of the leading causes of death worldwide, it remains within the top 10 leading causes of death in Africa. As of 2023, the top 15 countries with the highest prevalence of new HIV infections are all found in Africa. HIV/AIDS HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is an infectious sexually transmitted disease that is transmitted via exposure to infected semen, blood, vaginal and anal fluids and breast milk. HIV weakens the human immune system, resulting in the affected person being unable to fight off opportunistic infections. HIV/AIDS was the eighth leading cause of death in Africa in 2021, accounting for around 4.6 percent of all deaths, or around 405,790 total deaths. HIV Treatment Although there is currently no effective cure for HIV, death can be prevented by taking HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART). Access to ART worldwide has increased greatly over the last decade; however, there are still barriers to access in some of the countries most impacted by HIV. The African countries with the highest percentage of HIV infected children who were receiving antiretroviral treatment were Eswatini, Lesotho, and Uganda.

IntroductionSouth Africa has the largest burden of HIV worldwide and has a growing burden of non-communicable diseases; the combination of which may lead to diseases clustering in ways that are not seen in other regions. This study sought to identify common disease classes and sociodemographic and lifestyle factors associated with each disease class.MethodsData were analyzed from the South African Demographic and Health Survey 2016. A latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted using nine disease conditions. Sociodemographic and behavioral factors associated with each disease cluster were explored. All analysis was conducted in Stata 15 and the LCA Stata plugin was used to conduct the latent class and regression analysis.ResultsMultimorbid participants were included (n = 2 368). Four disease classes were identified: (1) HIV, Hypertension and Anemia (comprising 39.4% of the multimorbid population), (2) Anemia and Hypertension (23.7%), (3) Cardiovascular-related (19.9%) and (4) Diabetes and Hypertension (17.0%). Age, sex, and lifestyle risk factors were associated with class membership. In terms of age, with older adults were less likely to belong to the first class (HIV, Hypertension and Anemia). Males were more likely to belong to Class 2 (Anemia and Hypertension) and Class 4 (Diabetes and Hypertension). In terms of alcohol consumption, those that consumed alcohol were less likely to belong to Class 4 (Diabetes and Hypertension). Current smokers were more likely to belong to Class 3 (Cardiovascular-related). People with a higher body mass index tended to belong to Class 3 (Cardiovascular-related) or the Class 4 (Diabetes and Hypertension).ConclusionThis study affirmed that integrated care is urgently needed, evidenced by the largest disease class being an overlap of chronic infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases. This study also highlighted the need for hypertension to be addressed. Tackling the risk factors associated with hypertension could avert an epidemic of multimorbidity.

In 2021, the leading causes of death in Africa were lower respiratory infections, malaria, and stroke. That year, lower respiratory infections resulted in around 65 deaths per 100,000 population in Africa. Leading causes of death in Africa vs the world Worldwide, the top three leading causes of death in 2021 were heart disease, COVID-19, and stroke. At that time, some of the leading causes of death in Africa, such as lower respiratory infections and stroke, were among the leading causes worldwide, but there were also stark differences in the leading causes of death in Africa compared to the leading causes worldwide. For example, malaria, diarrheal disease, and preterm birth complications were among the top ten leading causes of death in Africa, but not worldwide. Furthermore, HIV/AIDS was the eighth leading cause of death in Africa at that time, but was not among the top ten leading causes worldwide. HIV/AIDS in Africa Although HIV/AIDS impacts every region of the world, Africa is still the region most impacted by this deadly virus. Worldwide, there are around 40 million people currently living with HIV, with about 20.8 million found in Eastern and Southern Africa and 5.1 million in Western and Central Africa. The countries with the highest HIV prevalence worldwide include Eswatini, Lesotho, and South Africa, with the leading 20 countries by HIV prevalence all found in Africa. However, due in part to improvements in education and awareness, the prevalence of HIV in many African countries has decreased. For example, in Botswana, the prevalence of HIV decreased from 26.1 percent to 16.6 percent in the period from 2000 to 2023.

It is estimated that around **** percent of the population in the United States has been diagnosed with an infectious disease. Infectious diseases are caused by bacteria, viruses and other organisms and can be spread from person to person, through insect or animal bites, or through contaminated food or water. Some of the most common infectious diseases include HIV/AIDS, influenza, malaria, tuberculosis and hepatitis.

HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS is one of the most well-known infectious diseases worldwide. There are currently almost ** million people worldwide living with HIV and it is responsible for just under a million deaths per year. HIV treatment has improved dramatically over the last few decades but access to treatment varies. The poorer regions of the world still suffer disproportionately from HIV with the majority of those infected living in Africa.

Tuberculosis

Like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis also impacts the poorer regions of the world more than developed nations. Tuberculosis impacts the lungs of those infected and is currently the tenth leading cause of death worldwide. The countries with the highest incidence rates of tuberculosis include India, China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. In India alone tuberculosis was responsible for around ******* deaths in 2018.

Infectious diseases and underlying medical conditions common to Africa may affect influenza frequency and severity. We conducted a systematic review of published studies on influenza and the following co-infections or co-morbidities that are prevalent in Africa: dengue, malaria, measles, meningococcus, Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP), hemoglobinopathies, and malnutrition. Articles were identified except for influenza and PCP. Very few studies were from Africa. Sickle cell disease, dengue, and measles co-infection were found to increase the severity of influenza disease, though this is based on few studies of dengue and measles and the measles study was of low quality. The frequency of influenza was increased among patients with sickle cell disease. Influenza infection increased the frequency of meningococcal disease. Studies on malaria and malnutrition found mixed results. Age-adjusted morbidity and mortality from influenza may be more common in Africa because infections and diseases common in the region lead to more severe outcomes and increase the influenza burden. However, gaps exist in our knowledge about these interactions.

BackgroundOf the total 56 million deaths worldwide during 2012, 38 million (68%) were due to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), particularly cardiovascular diseases (17.5 million deaths) cancers (8.2 million) which represents46.2% and 21.7% of NCD deaths, respectively). Nearly 80 percent of the global CVD deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Some of the major CVDs such as ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke and CVD risk conditions, namely, hypertension and dyslipidaemia share common modifiable risk factors including smoking, unhealthy diets, harmful use of alcohol and physical inactivity. The CVDs are now putting a heavy strain of the health systems at both national and local levels, which have previously largely focused on infectious diseases and appalling maternal and child health. We set out to estimate district-level co-occurrence of two cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), namely, ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke; and two major risk conditions for CVD, namely, hypertension and dyslipidaemia in South Africa.MethodThe analyses were based on adults health collected as part of the 2012 South African National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (SANHANES). We used joint disease mapping models to estimate and map the spatial distributions of risks of hypertension, self-report of ischaemic heart disease (IHD), stroke and dyslipidaemia at the district level in South Africa. The analyses were adjusted for known individual social demographic and lifestyle factors, household and district level poverty measurements using binary spatial models.ResultsThe estimated prevalence of IHD, stroke, hypertension and dyslipidaemia revealed high inequality at the district level (median value (range): 5.4 (0–17.8%); 1.7 (0–18.2%); 32.0 (12.5–48.2%) and 52.2 (0–71.7%), respectively). The adjusted risks of stroke, hypertension and IHD were mostly high in districts in the South-Eastern parts of the country, while that of dyslipidaemia, was high in Central and top North-Eastern corridor of the country.ConclusionsThe study has confirmed common modifiable risk factors of two cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), namely, ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke; and two major risk conditions for CVD, namely, hypertension and dyslipidaemia. Accordingly, an integrated intervention approach addressing cardiovascular diseases and associated risk factors and conditions would be more cost effective and provide stronger impacts than individual tailored interventions only. Findings of excess district-level variations in the CVDs and their risk factor profiles might be useful for developing effective public health policies and interventions aimed at reducing behavioural risk factors including harmful use of alcohol, physical inactivity and high salt intake.

Latest data from 2017 show that Tuberculosis was with approximately ****** cases the leading cause of death in South Africa. Diabetes mellitus caused ** thousand casualties and was the second highest underlying cause of death, whereas ****** people passed away due to Cerebrovascular diseases (e.g. stroke, carotid stenosis). HIV/AIDS was the fifth ranked disease, causing ****** casualties. In total, roughly **** million people in East and Southern Africa lived with HIV in 2018, causing over ******* AIDS-related deaths.

IntroductionCardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the most common cause of non-communicable disease mortality in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. Gaps in knowledge of CVD conditions and their risk factors are important barriers in effective prevention and treatment. Yet, evidence on the awareness and knowledge level of CVD and associated risk factors among populations of SSA is scarce. This review aimed to synthesize available evidence of the level of knowledge of and perceptions towards CVDs and risk factors in the SSA region.MethodsFive databases were searched for publications up to December 2016. Narrative synthesis was conducted for knowledge level of CVDs, knowledge of risk factors and clinical signs, factors influencing knowledge of CVDs and source of health information on CVDs. The review was registered with Prospero (CRD42016049165).ResultsOf 2212 titles and abstracts screened, 45 full-text papers were retrieved and reviewed and 20 were included: eighteen quantitative and two qualitative studies. Levels of knowledge and awareness for CVD and risk factors were generally low, coupled with poor perception. Most studies reported less than half of their study participants having good knowledge of CVDs and/or risk factors. Proportion of participants who were unable to identify a single risk factor and clinical symptom for CVDs ranged from 1.8% in a study among hospital staff in Nigeria to a high of 73% in a population-based survey in Uganda and 7% among University staff in Nigeria to 75.1% in a general population in Uganda respectively. High educational attainment and place of residence had a significant influence on the levels of knowledge for CVDs among SSA populations.ConclusionLow knowledge of CVDs, risk factors and clinical symptoms is strongly associated with the low levels of educational attainment and rural residency in the region. These findings provide useful information for implementers of interventions targeted at the prevention and control of CVDs, and encourages them to incorporate health promotion and awareness campaigns in order to enhance knowledge and awareness of CVDs in the region.

Context

Cardio-vascular diseases are among the most frequent causes of death. Clinically there are widely accepted indicators for potential risk of contracting a cardio-vascular sickness. Hence, the knowledge of the determinant risk factors that lead cardio-vascular sickness can aid decision- making for pretreatment and changing lifestyles to avoid or reduce future complications.

The dataset

The dataset SAHeart.csv is about coronary heart disease (CHD) obtained from the Coronary Risk Factor Study conducted in South Africa by Rousseauw et al. in 1983. The goal is to use a set of indicators to identify if a patient has a risk of contracting coronary diseases or not.

• Objective: explore risk factors associated with myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack.
• Population: The study focused on white males aged 15 to 64.
• Binary Response: Each observation indicates whether the individual had a myocardial infarction at the time of the survey. It’s a binary response: presence (MI occurred) or absence (no MI).
• Predictors: The dataset contains several numeric and factor-level predictors.
• Sample Size: There are 462 observations in total, with 160 individuals experiencing an MI and 302 without an MI.

Format

A data frame with 462 observations on the following 10 variables.

Cover Image Source: https://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/related/heart-disease-and-eye-health/

Background: Disease is recognized as a long term driver of ecosystem change. There is currently a lack of data on disease in South Africa, especially in protected areas. Most available information details human, livestock and large game diseases, while there is little knowledge of disease in plants, lower order vertebrates and invertebrates. Increasing habitat fragmentation, especially outside parks, results in an increased interface risk between humans and wildlife, with a greater opportunity for disease transfer. Agricultural activities could also become an important source of disease outbreaks and emerging infectious disease, especially with an increase in wildlife farming, aquaculture and mariculture. The loss of biodiversity itself, and the resulting loss of genetic diversity, species abundance and community membership, may also result in an increase in the number and frequency of outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases. The potential for interaction between habitat fragmentation, climate change and emerging infectious diseases have made active collection of disease data for protected areas a priority if unacceptable biodiversity and economic losses and livelihood threats to neighbouring communities are to be detected and, where possible, prevented.

Methods: All potential disease threats for SANParks were listed and categorized using published data and expert opinion. Information on the distribution, risk factors and records of outbreaks were gathered for the diseases deemed important (most likely to be linked to global environmental change) or are regulated by the Diseases Act (n = 15: anthrax, African swine fever, African horse sickness, avian influenza, bovine tuberculosis, botulism, bovine brucellosis, Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, corridor disease, canine distemper, foot and mouth diseases, heart water, malignant catarrhal fever, rabies & rift valley fever). Summary statistics regarding the distribution of and trends in diseases were calculated from available data.

Major findings: Disease as a driver of Global Environmental Change proved to be a very challenging assessment. Reliable data on disease distribution, presence and impacts are scarce and it proved too difficult to assess where disease will act as a GEC driver. It is however clear that disease can often end up being part of the mechanism that influences populations negatively, exacerbating the impact of global environmental change. Ungulates are the group most commonly affected by the 15 diseases analyzed (probably because livestock and buffalo are tested most frequently), but some of these diseases can also spill over into their predators. Most of the disease information is present for savanna parks, mostly Kruger. This is likely because the best and most long-standing surveillance is present in these parks, as are most of the large mammals and the climate of these regions is better suited to several of the diseases. More data also occurs in areas where commercial farming is prevalent. Intensification of farming allows certain diseases to become expressed in animals where this would not happen if animals were free ranging. Surveillance and outbreak data are incomplete, making it difficult to determine trends. The data are also biased: although surveillance of disease is carried out, this is mostly conducted for controlled diseases with data collection being intensified during outbreaks. Obtaining better data is however costly and is challenged by the fact that most diseases can only be diagnosed from samples collected from post mortem of affected animals. Active surveillance is mostly prohibited by costs unless linked to a specifically funded project but passive surveillance and data repository in a central SANParks database will go a long way to record diseases that are present and to track changes over time. This does not, however, allow for predictions to be made, which this assessment was hoping to achieve.

Monitoring, management and policy implications: Recommendations from this assessment are for SANParks to develop a surveillance system for detecting disease, but more importantly, a central depository for disease data and mortality reports where incidents can be and assimilated centrally in SANParks. This is especially important in the savanna parks where most of the “top-15” diseases are present. Deciding how the disease distribution database and the trends databases from this project will be updated and included in management decision making will be an important part of this. Metadata that includes a measure of data collection effort is essential to enable detection of changes in patterns of disease outbreak. Making predictions regarding disease is difficult but regular scenario planning to interpret how other global environmental change factors will interact with disease is an important tool that can be used. A flexible and ra... Visit https://dataone.org/datasets/nicolavw.19.2 for complete metadata about this dataset.

As of 2019, 4.74 million South Africans were suffering from hypertension, making it the most prevalent chronic health condition in the country. Having come a long way in reducing HIV and AIDS-related infections and cases of death, but still facing the world's biggest HIV epidemic, approximately 1.68 million cases of HIV and AIDS had been diagnosed as a chronic health condition by a medical practitioner or nurse.

The enormous amount of data produced in the context of the fourth industrial revolution frequently does not adequately depict African situations. This disparity leads to a crucial problem: remedies drawn from such datasets frequently turn out to be ineffective when used to address problems unique to African regions. As a result, questions concerning the effectiveness of technologies created without a thorough understanding of the distinctive features of the African landscape are becoming more and more prevalent. An innovative project has been launched to close this gap—a dataset that is categorically "Afrocentric." This unique dataset is carefully curated, concentrating only on data gathered from the various African areas. This dataset's collection of annotated photos of leaves from diverse crops, showing both healthy specimens and those affected by illnesses, is one of its main components. These pictures show the subtle symptoms of crop diseases at various phases of crop development. The dataset's emphasis on inclusion, which makes sure that it captures the agricultural diversity found in Africa, is essential to understanding its value. The dataset offers a thorough understanding of disease patterns and manifestations by including annotated pictures of leaves from a range of crops. Researchers, data scientists, and innovators who want to create specialized and efficient solutions for the agricultural problems the African continent faces will find this wealth of knowledge to be of immeasurable use. This "Afrocentric" dataset essentially serves as a testament to the understanding of the significance of region-specific data in promoting technological solutions that connect with the demands and complexities of Africa. Datasets of this kind open the way for more informed and contextually relevant developments as we navigate the complex convergence of technology and agriculture, ensuring that the advantages of the fourth industrial revolution are realized inclusively across various global landscapes.

The use of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) for disease prioritization at the sub-national level in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) is rare. In this research, we contextualized MCDA for parallel prioritization of endemic zoonoses and animal diseases in The Adamawa and North regions of Cameroon. MCDA was associated to categorical principal component analysis (CATPCA), and two-step cluster analysis. Six and seven domains made of 17 and 19 criteria (out of 70) respectively were selected by CATPCA for the prioritization of zoonoses and animal diseases, respectively. The most influencing domains were “public health” for zoonoses and “control and prevention” for animal diseases. Twenty-seven zoonoses and 40 animal diseases were ranked and grouped in three clusters. Sensitivity analysis resulted in high correlation between complete models and reduced models showing the robustness of the simplification processes. The tool used in this study can be applied to prioritize endemic zoonoses and transboundary animal diseases in SSA at the sub-national level and upscaled at the national and regional levels. The relevance of MCDA is high because of its contextualization process and participatory nature enabling better operationalization of disease prioritization outcomes in the context of African countries or other low and middle-income countries.

BackgroundDespite rising incidence and mortality rates in Africa, cancer has been given low priority in the research field and in healthcare services. Indeed, 57% of all new cancer cases around the world occur in low income countries exacerbated by lack of awareness, lack of preventive strategies, and increased life expectancies. Despite recent efforts devoted to cancer epidemiology, statistics on cancer rates in Africa are often dispersed across different registries. In this study our goal included identifying the most promising prevention and treatment approaches available in Africa. To do this, we collated and analyzed the incidence and fatality rates for the 10 most common and fatal cancers in 56 African countries grouped into 5 different regions (North, West, East, Central and South) over 16-years (2002–2018). We examined temporal and regional trends by investigating the most important risk factors associated to each cancer type. Data were analyzed by cancer type, African region, gender, measures of socioeconomic status and the availability of medical devices.ResultsWe observed that Northern and Southern Africa were most similar in their cancer incidences and fatality rates compared to other African regions. The most prevalent cancers are breast, bladder and liver cancers in Northern Africa; prostate, lung and colorectal cancers in Southern Africa; and esophageal and cervical cancer in East Africa. In Southern Africa, fatality rates from prostate cancer and cervical cancer have increased. In addition, these three cancers are less fatal in Northern and Southern Africa compared to other regions, which correlates with the Human Development Index and the availability of medical devices. With the exception of thyroid cancer, all other cancers have higher incidences in males than females.ConclusionOur results show that the African continent suffers from a shortage of medical equipment, research resources and epidemiological expertise. While recognizing that risk factors are interconnected, we focused on risk factors more or less specific to each cancer type. This helps identify specific preventive and therapeutic options in Africa. We see a need for implementing more accurate preventive strategies to tackle this disease as many cases are likely preventable. Opportunities exist for vaccination programs for cervical and liver cancer, genetic testing and use of new targeted therapies for breast and prostate cancer, and positive changes in lifestyle for lung, colorectal and bladder cancers. Such recommendations should be tailored for the different African regions depending on their disease profiles and specific needs.

Supplementary Material for 'A Streptococcus pneumoniae lineage usually associated with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) serotypes is the most common cause of serotype 35B invasive disease in South Africa, following routine use of PCV', as published in Microbial Genomics.

Vulnerable population identified by the prevalence of diseases (malaria, cough and diarrhea) as indicator for food security, in sample of households in West Africa study area. Data based on DHS and MICS surveys. In defining vulnerability, WFP (2009) and IFPRI (2012) have been followed and combined with indicators for food security with health indicators that signal vulnerability in a physical sense. IFPRI's Global Hunger Index uses three indicators to measure hunger: the number of adults being undernourished, the number of children that have low weight for age, and child mortality. Other classifications of food security use the variety of the diet as an indicator, combined with anthropometric data on children. However, in the DHS data there were no information available on child mortality, nor on dietary composition. Given these data limitations, data on nutritional status of women (Body Mass Index, BMI) for women and children (weight for age and weight for height) have been used as indicators for food security. These data were combined with data on morbidity among adults and children, specifically the occurrence of malaria, cough, and diarrhea. Combinations of indicators have led to a classification of households as being very vulnerable, vulnerable, nearly vulnerable and not vulnerable. This data set was produced in the framework of the "Climate change predictions in Sub-Saharan Africa: impacts and adaptations (ClimAfrica)" project, Work Package 5 (WP5). More information on ClimAfrica project is provided in the Supplemental Information section of this metadata. This study in WP5 aimed to identify, locate and characterize groups that are vulnerable for climate change conditions in two country clusters; one in West Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo) and one in East Africa (Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda). Data used for the study include the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) , the Multi Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) and the Afrobarometer surveys for the socio-economic variables and grid level data on agro-ecological and climatic conditions.

The leading causes of death among Black residents in the United States in 2023 included diseases of the heart, cancer, unintentional injuries, and stroke. The leading causes of death for African Americans generally reflect the leading causes of death for the entire United States population. However, a major exception is that death from assault or homicide is the seventh leading cause of death among African Americans but is not among the ten leading causes for the general population. Homicide among African Americans The homicide rate among African Americans has been higher than that of other races and ethnicities for many years. In 2023, around 9,284 Black people were murdered in the United States, compared to 7,289 white people. A majority of these homicides are committed with firearms, which are easily accessible in the United States. In 2023, around 13,350 Black people died by firearms. Cancer disparities There are also major disparities in access to health care and the impact of various diseases. For example, the incidence rate of cancer among African American males is the greatest among all ethnicities and races. Furthermore, although the incidence rate of cancer is lower among African American women than it is among white women, cancer death rates are still higher among African American women.

This statistic shows the number of deaths per day by selected diseases in West African countries that are suffering from the Ebola outbreak in 2014. Malaria causes some 552 deaths per day in these countries, while Ebola causes around four deaths per day (as of August 2014).

Ebola compared to other diseases

Ebola first emerged in 1976 in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The 2014 outbreak in West Africa has proven difficult to control. Currently, there is no cure, however, treatment is available to maximize survival chances as well as minimize the potential for transmission. In August 2014, the World Health Organization has stated that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa had become an international health emergency. Ebola has caused four deaths per day in West Africa between December 2013 and August 11th, 2014. However, diseases such as malaria and HIV or AIDS have caused a significantly larger number of deaths daily in these countries, reaching 552 and 685 deaths per day in 2014, respectively. HIV/AIDS was responsible for some 1.5 million deaths in 2013 globally.

As of 2013, there have been over 77 million cases of malaria in Africa and almost 7 million cases in the Eastern Mediterranean. Worldwide, malaria accounted for just under 90 million cases in 2013. Malaria is caused by a parasite which can be carried by mosquitoes and transmitted to humans. The parasite is then able to multiply within the liver and proceed to infect red blood cells. Common symptoms are fever, headache, and vomiting. Malaria can cause death if blood supply to vital organs is inhibited. The U.S. National Institute of Health and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are among the leading funders for malaria research and development worldwide, contributing to 27.9 percent and 21.2 percent, respectively, between 2007 and 2012.

Strengthening the sustainability of neglected tropical disease programs in Rwanda: An assessment of access and utilization of domestically-financed services for Soil-Transmitted Helminthiases and Schistosomiasis Introduction: Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) and schistosomiasis (SCH) infections remain some of the most prevalent neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), causing significant morbidity in most of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including Rwanda. With dwindling international funding for NTD services and recent commitments focused on other diseases considered easier to eliminate as a public health problem, it is essential to assess domestic financing sources' scale, efficiency, and effectiveness. The study aims to strengthen domestic efforts towards sustainable financing for neglected tropical disease programs in Africa, particularly in Rwanda. Method: Up to 235 patients from 24 health centers in four districts of Rwanda were sampled for this survey. The districts selected had the highest number of STH and SCH based on routine data from June 2021 to December 2022, which is the window period of the study. We estimated affordability using the lowest-paid government worker (LPGW) and then compared this with household income and expenditure obtained from patients participating in the survey. Data was collected from August to September 2023. Limited secondary data were collected to complement primary data. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to present the findings. Results and Conclusions: The most available drugs were mebendazole, with 100% of facilities reporting no stockout. Praziquantel (PZQ) was the most unavailable drug, reporting 92% stockout at the time of the survey, mainly due to delays in getting supplies from MDA-implementing health facilities. Diagnostics for SCH are the most inaccessible lab services. On average, the total cost (both direct and opportunity cost) to access and utilize STH and SCH services was USD 0.72 (RWF 861.92) and USD 0.96 (RWF 1136.41) for male and female patients, respectively. Although the assessment revealed that treatment for STH and SCH was affordable for the LPGW, women pay a 33% higher cost than men to access NTD services. While services are generally satisfactory, the reimbursement processes are slow, hindering timely access and utilization of SCH and STH services at the health facilities in Rwanda. While the access and utilization of STH and SCH services in health centers are generally promising, the findings underscore the potential for improvement. By addressing the efficiency in the supply of praziquantel drugs and enhancing reimbursement timelines, we can ensure the continuity and effectiveness of these services, offering hope for a brighter future in the fight against neglected tropical diseases.

BackgroundUrogenital schistosomiasis is one of the most prevalent parasitic diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a poverty-related disease conditioned by behavioural practices.MethodsOur objective is to evaluate the awareness, mindset and habits about urogenital schistosomiasis in the community of Cubal (Angola), as well as its association with infection and urinary tract morbidity in pre-school age children. A cross-sectional study of knowledge, attitudes and practices at home was conducted between February and May 2022 with 250 participants.ResultsOverall, 93.6% of those surveyed had some prior knowledge about schistosomiasis and, among all the symptoms associated with this disease, blood in the urine was the best known (54.4%). Nevertheless, 57.6% obtained a medium knowledge score. Regarding attitude, the majority of respondents had a high attitude score (79.2%) with 96.0% willing to participate in mass drug administration campaigns. Laundry in the river was the most common risk practice (61.2%) and 55.2% out of the total were classified with a low practice score.ConclusionLow knowledge about symptoms and transmission by caregivers was the outstanding risk factor for infection in pre-school age children (OR = 16.93, 95%CI: 3.93–72.82), and lack of knowledge that avoiding entering the river prevents schistosomiasis was the main risk factor for morbidity in PSAC (OR = 8.14, 95%CI: 1.14–58.25).