It has been said that "health is wealth". Experts agree that the environment is an important factor in the total well-being of its inhabitants.
Many of the diseases that have rampaged and are still affecting Africans today are preventable or avoidable. Often there is a very real problem with understanding or cultural barriers. Some diseases like malaria are preventable and are spread through bad environment conditions such as rubbish / trash / garbage heaps that foster the breeding of mosquitoes.
There needs to be a strong and on-going campaign to train and retrain Africans with regard to maintaining health. Historically, there has been limited training in terms of prevention. The focus has been on cure. However, the price of cure / treatment is sometime prohibitive. Prevention is always better than cure.
This training includes the following:
- Avoiding communicable diseases and infections
- Treatment of body fluids
- Hygiene and cleanliness
- Diet and exercise
- Cultural norms and practices
Action Items