Ethiopia's Total Burden Of Disease example essay topic

1,990 words
Ethiopia Introduction It stands as one of the oldest nations of the world, dating back to 1000 BC when the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon. Ethiopia was a nation with promise, a nation with riches and the greatest Ivory market as far as the eye can see. So one would assume that Ethiopia is the place to live. Well if you have been to Ethiopia you would see this is not the case.

Ethiopia is a country where people are fighting to live everyday. There economy is nearly in ruins and there main export, is almost stolen from them. But the promise that Ethiopia had when the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon is still there. But in order to restore Ethiopia to its previous glory, we need your help. We need that $50 million to give life back to the Ethiopian people. General Facts Official Name: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Capital City: Addis Ababa Independence Day: September 12 Total Area: 1,127,127 km^2 Land Area: 1,119,683 km^2 Water Area: 7,444 km^2 Population: 72,400,000 Languages: Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, other local languages, English (major foreign language taught in schools) Religion: Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, Animist 12%, Other 3%-8%Life Expectancy: 37 Currency: Birr (As of January 26, 2005, 1 birr = 0.14783 CAN, 1 CAN = 6.764 birr) GDP: 700 (per capita) Labour Force by Occupation: agriculture and animal husbandry 80%; government and services 12%; industry and construction 8%Industries: food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metals processing, cement Imports: coffee, qat, gold, leather products, live animals, oilseeds (Continued) Exports: food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles, cereals, textiles Graphs Problems Today Ethiopia has a very bad basic health status compared to other countries with a low income.

The health service coverage is 50.4%. Almost one out of every ten babies who are born in Ethiopia dies in their first year. Mortality rate for those under five is also high; statistics show that one out of every six children dies before they turn five. Malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and HIV / AIDS dominate Ethiopia's problem of disease. Diseases such as meningitis, malaria, cholera, measles, and have become epidemic. Economic Problems There are more than 50 million people who still have the same daily life as their ancestors did.

Over 50 million people completely depend on traditional agriculture. Ethiopian economy is had agriculture account for 51% of the GDP, 85% of total employment, and 85% of exports and more than 70% of total export earnings. During the same year, the service sector accounted for 24% of GDP while the industrial sector contributed about 11% of GDP, 15% of export earnings and less than 2% of the labour force. Trade and transport contribute 14% of GDP. In spite of recent achievements in economic growth, poverty remains a problem. Climate The current climatic trends have caused food availability to be very short countrywide.

The lack of rain experienced in many areas has caused serious food shortage in several parts of the country. The impact of the rain on three important sources of food has particularly been severe. o The belg and Meher crops in a number of areas did not grow o Early maturing non-Belg crops, which are important sources of food before the Meher Harvest and the Meher rain also failed o Livestock condition in some of the pastoral areas has been affected incredibly The severe drought in Ethiopia has caused their main economic source to be hit really hard. Many farmers and their families are dying of malnutrition. Health Problems Ethiopia has become a country plagued with famine and disease. Many people die every day because there is no money to treat them. Ethiopia has an extremely poor health status, even compared to poorer countries.

As we stated earlier, one out of ten babies don't make it to their first birthday. And one out of six children doesn't live to see their fifth birthday. Ethiopia's total burden of disease as measured by early death from all causes is approximately 350 Discounted Life Years lost per 1000 population. HIV / Aids, nutrition deficiency and communicable diseases have now dominated Ethiopia. Poor Food Distribution All of the crop failures and the poor livestock have caused food shortages in almost all areas.

The poor livestock has had a tremendous effect on the milk supply and has especially impacted the children. Now, because of the poor livestock, the price of grain has gone up, making it unaffordable for many. Because of all the factors that have caused this food shortage, the DPP C predicts that 6,000,000 people will become ill and die if nothing is done. Current Assessment o Anemia is becoming a problem with children under five and pregnant mothers. Malnutrition is adding to this problem Many people have migrated to the few places in Ethiopia where there is water.

We expect a Malaria outbreak to occur in these places. Although there are no cases yet, health officials feel that there will be a meningococcal meningitis epidemic in the areas. o The water supply in almost all communities is contaminate do Although there are no cases yet, health officials believe there will be a measles epidemic o More recently, there have a huge number of cases of whooping cough (Pertussis) o There is also a very low amount of basic medical supplies When UNICEF made there way into Ethiopia to distribute food, many people stayed back at home due to lack of strength Malnutrition has become a very serious problem in many areas as many Ethiopians are completely dependant on their livestock o Carcasses have been scattered all over Ethiopia because of disease they carry. The livestock that are alive still have disease and they infect those who use the product Ethiopia is not prepared for an emergency situation like the one they are in. Poor management of there resources has also been observed. Comparing Ethiopia and Canada Topic Ethiopia Canada Official name: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Canada Capital: Addis Ababa Ottawa Area (Thousands of km 2): 1,104 9,985 Population (millions): 72.4 (2004) 31.9 (2004) Population density (per km 2): 64 (2004) 3 (2004) Urban population (%-2003): 16 80 Gross national income (GNI) (per capita): US$90 (2003) US$23,930 (2003) GNI purchasing power parity ( ) (per capita): US$710 (2003) US$29,740 (2003) Structure of GDP (%-2003): o Agriculture o Industry o Services 421147 23266 Ecological footprint (global hectares per person-2001): 0.7 6.4 Human development index (HDI) ranking: 170th of 177 countries (2002) 4th (2002) Gender-related development index (GDI) ranking: 137th of 144 countries (2002) 4th (2002) Life expectancy at birth: 37 (1960), 46 (2003) 71 (1960), 79 (2003) Mortality rate under 5 years old (per 1,000): 269 (1960), 169 (2003) 33 (1960), 6 (2003) Adult literacy rate (% 2000-2004): o Total o Men o Women 414934 999999 Population using improved drinking water sources (%-2002): o Total o Urban o Rural 228111 10010099 Courtesy of web (Focus on highlighted) Ethiopia in the News Project enabling Ethiopia export electric power to Djibouti well underway Addis Ababa, 1/27/2005 The Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) has announced that implementation of a project supplying electric power to Djibouti from Ethiopia was being speeded up. EEPCo General Manager Mihret Debe be made the announcement here at the opening on Thursday of a meeting held to discuss an electric power transfer draft agreement between pertinent bodies of Ethiopia and Djibouti.

The project launched following the signing of the agreement in 2001 provides for the installation of a 283-km electric line from Dire Dawa to Djibouti. The African Development Bank has already approved a 60 million Dollars loan required for the realization of the project, Mihret said. The loan is to be repaid in a long period of time with small interest by both the beneficiaries. With the project Ethiopia will be exporting electric power to Djibouti. The project is believed to enable urban and rural border areas in the two countries to get electric power supply. Physical work of the project will be implemented until 2002 E.C. Ethiopia will be receiving up to 33 million Dollars annually from the export upon completion of the project, Mihret said.

The project can be expanded beyond Ethiopia and Djibouti to include the countries in the region and even reaching farther to Northern African countries, General Manager of Djibouti Electric Company Jama Ali Guelleh said on the occasion. Such a project will be significant in strengthening ties between nations, he said. Courtesy of web To dive emergency medical supplies To build shelters for treatment whenever it is need edo To monitor all of the current problems and ones that arise o To implement Measles immunization campaign for those under five years Of age and conduct assessment on under 10 and 15 years. Nutrition To cut down on malnutrition for children under the age of five To make sure that everyone receives enough vitamin Water and Hygiene Firstly, to properly dispose of carcasses o We must control the water supply and distribute ito We also need to teach the people about clean water and the consequences of water if it isn't clean Costs for Emergency Medical Supply Kits Region Approx. Pop. 50 32,850,000 = $16,425,000 Personnel cost for first immunization is $40 for one health worker 219,000 = $8,760,000 Training costs for one person is $20 219000 = 4,380,000 Total: 29,565,000 Total Health Cost Including Medical Kits$33,444,000 Economic Costs Activity Cost (CAN) Public Toilet Construction 500,000 Waste Disposal Site 250,000 Carcass Disposal 10,000 Construction Tools 50,000 Body and Clothes soaps for workers 25,000 Disinfectants 200,000 Hygiene Education 200,000 Sleeping Bags for Workers 10,000 Tents for Workers 20,000 Water Quality Control and Monitoring 5,000,000 Total 6,265,000 Canada must create industries in Ethiopia.

They are largely in debt and they need an industrial revolution. They are completely dependant on agriculture and they have very little industries. Their government spends more money on Defence than health care, education and industries combined. We need to step in and spend $10 million dollars on industry alone. We need to create jobs for the Ethiopian people.

That way health and education will automatically increase. Peacemaking Costs With the remaining $300,000 dollars, we need to send peacemakers to Ethiopia and settle the dispute over the Eritrea territory. There is so much money wasted by the Ethiopian government towards the military that could be used to help the Ethiopian people. Conclusion As you may now realize, Ethiopia is almost a country in ruins. It is plagued with disease and war. No matter what the government does it still seems to get worse and the government still seems to be in billions of dollars in debt.

But if you accept my proposal, you will see Ethiopia get back to its former economic glory. Once again, it will produce riches; the people of Ethiopia will get cleaner water and a job. Not a job on there farm where crops are ruined, but a job in industry. They will be trained. They will come out of debt. And in time, all the money that is owed to Canada will be repaid.

This isn't just a plan to help a country for a few months. This is a revolution. This plan will pave the way for all third world countries to come out of debt and give back to their people, what the people gave to there country. Countries will give life back to the people.

So accept our proposal, it will help everyone in need.