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Nigeria HEALTH
Whereas traditional medicine continued to play an
important
role in Nigeria in 1990, the country made great strides in
the
provision of modern health care to its population in the
years
since World War II, particularly in the period after
independence
(see Indigenous Beliefs
, this ch.). Among the most notable
accomplishments were the expansion of medical education,
the
improvement of public health care, the control of many
contagious
diseases and disease vectors, and the provision of primary
health
care in many urban and rural areas. In the late 1980s, a
large
increase in vaccination against major childhood diseases
and a
significant expansion of primary health care became the
cornerstones of the government's health policies.
Nonetheless, many problems remained in 1990. Sharp
disparities persisted in the availability of medical
facilities
among the regions, rural and urban areas, and
socioeconomic
classes. The severe economic stresses of the late 1980s
had
serious impacts throughout the country on the availability
of
medical supplies, drugs, equipment, and personnel. In the
rapidly
growing cities, inadequate sanitation and water supply
increased
the threat of infectious disease, while health care
facilities
were generally not able to keep pace with the rate of
urban
population growth. There were several serious outbreaks of
infectious diseases during the 1980s, including
cerebrospinal
meningitis and yellow fever, for which, especially in
rural
areas, treatment or preventive immunization was often
difficult
to obtain. Chronic diseases, such as malaria and guinea
worm,
continued to resist efforts to reduce their incidence in
many
areas. The presence of acquired immune deficiency syndrome
(AIDS)
in Nigeria was confirmed by 1987 and appeared to be
growing.
Data as of June 1991
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