Africa's health sector making some progress - WHO

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - African countries are making steady progress in tackling some of the deadliest diseases, thanks to support provided by World Health Organisation (WHO) to its members, a senior health official said on Wednesday.

"The World Health Organisation and its 46-member states in the African region (have) made steady progress in the health sector... by revitalising policies and strategies for health action," said WHO's regional head for Africa, Luis Sambo.

He told a health conference in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa that some progress had been registered in the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria.

"Efforts to scale up access to HIV/AIDS care and treatment in Africa in 2004-05 has resulted in an estimated 800,000 people, representing 17 percent of those in need, gaining access to anti-retroviral therapy," Sambo said.

Health ministers attending the conference are discussing ways to boost HIV prevention, improving child survival, health financing and expanded immunisation initiatives.

With TB, Sambo said eight African countries had attained treatment success rates of 80 percent or higher and 11 others had reached and exceeded the 70 percent case detection rate for new cases.

In malaria prevention and control, 25 countries have changed treatment policy to the artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), he said. He did not name the countries.

Sambo said about 60 percent of outbreaks in the region in 2005 of major epidemics such as cholera, meningitis, Ebola, yellow fever, typhoid and viral hepatitis E received WHO support within 48 hours.

The number of confirmed polio cases in the region fell in 2005 by 11 percent from the previous year due to increased eradication efforts, he said.

Experts say a lack of funding and a shortage of health workers are the main obstacles to fighting diseases in Africa.