What sub-Saharan African countries can learn from malaria elimination in China.

Malaria is one of the most devastating diseases plaguing the sub-Saharan African region since time immemorial. In spite of a global reduction in mortality rates, a significant proportion of deaths due to malaria is still accounted for in the region. China recently joined the 40 countries declared malaria free by the World Health Organization and became the first country in the WHO Western Pacific Region to be awarded the certification. We commented on the strategies employed by China to eliminate malaria, address challenges facing malaria control in sub-Saharan Africa, and derive lessons that could be learned in the sub-Saharan African context

Tobacco Control in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Recommendations

According to the World Health Organization, more than 80% of the world’s current smokers live in low- and middle- income countries. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the increase in tobacco smoking is facilitated by the fast-growing population, increase in purchasing power of the consumers and massive efforts by the tobacco industry to expand their reach in this region. Until the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), many countries in SSA had weak or non-existent tobacco control policies, about 44 countries in the region are currently signatories to the treaty. Despite being signatories to the FCTC, many sub-Saharan African countries have not been able to implement and/or enforce comprehensive tobacco control policies. This chapter is intended to share the challenges facing existing public health advocacy and interventions against tobacco smoking in SSA countries and to make recommendations necessary to control tobacco smoking in the SSA countries

Revisiting the issue of access to medicines in Africa: Challenges and recommendations

Abstract Background Access to safe, effective, affordable, and quality medicines is an essential component of the right to health and is also one of the targets in the global development agenda. In this review article, we extensively discuss the challenges and issues surrounding access to medicines in the African region as well as provides recommendations for ensuring medicines security on the continent. Methods We conducted narrative review with the use of data reported in published literature, reports, and grey literature available in African countries on topics pertaining access to medicines. The authors also snowballed further data to gather information for this review and narrative synthesis was conducted. Results Africa faces a double burden of infectious and non‐communicable diseases and the need for effective universal access to medicines cannot be deemphasized. However, access to medicines on the continent is not without issues and challenges. Some of which are the high burden of infectious diseases and non‐infectious diseases, limited pharmaceutical industries and high costs of raw materials, overdependence on countries abroad for medicines, poor supply chain systems, lack of government investment in the pharmaceutical sector, unfavourable manufacturing conditions, limited health workforce, lack of sustainable health financing mechanisms, lack of infrastructures and technical know‐how, low investment on research and development, and circulation of fake and counterfeit medicines among others. Conclusion This review reifies that access to medicines in Africa faces numerous challenges and it emphasizes the urgent need to address these issues as the continent geared towards strengthening its health systems for universal health coverage