Top 10 Amazing Health Statistics You Mustn’t Underestimate

Introduction

The importance of health statistics can not be over emphasized in any developing or developed nation. Health statistics are numbers about some aspect of health. key Statistics about births, deaths, marriages, and divorces are sometimes called “vital statistics.” Researchers use statistics to see patterns of diseases in groups of people.

Health statistics primarily include both empirical data and estimates related to health, such as mortality, morbidity, risk factors, health service coverage, and health systems. The continual production and dissemination of health statistics is a core WHO activity mandated to WHO by its Member States in its Constitution. According to Woldometers, The current population of Nigeria is  approximately 198,407,086 as of Tuesday, January 1, 2019, based on the latest United Nations estimates.

In terms of health, there are many interesting health statistics with regards to Nigeria and in this article, we take a look at some of these top amazing health statistics and facts you need to know, but first of all Why are Health statistics important in healthcare?

Governmental health and human related  agencies takes absolute and precise measurement over the health and well-being of populations with statistical information. Researchers employ scientific and pragmatic methodologies to assemble data on human population samples. Statistics are extensively significant to health care companies in measuring performance success or failure.

In terms of Medical statistics, it deals with applications of statistics to medicine and the health sciences, including epidemiology, public health, forensic medicine, and clinical research. It has a central role in medical investigations.

Amazing Health Statistics in Nigeria

health statistics in nigeria

#1 HIV/AIDS

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). By damaging your immune system, HIV interferes with your body’s ability to fight the organisms that cause disease. This deadly illness is usually Sexually transmitted. In 2016, Nigeria had 220 000 new HIV infections and 160 000 AIDS-related deaths. That same year, there were 3 200 000 people living with HIV, among whom 30% were accessing antiretroviral therapy.

Also, 32% of the pregnant women living with HIV are accessing treatment or prophylaxis to prevent transmission of HIV to their children as of 2016.

Additionally, an estimated 37 000 children were newly infected with HIV due to mother-to-child transmission. Among people living with HIV, approximately 24% had suppressed viral loads.

The major populations most affected by HIV in Nigeria are:

  • Sex workers, with an HIV prevalence of 14.4%
  • Gay men and other men who have sex with men with an HIV prevalence of 23%
  • People who inject drugs with an HIV prevalence of 3.4%

Since 2010, new HIV infections have decreased by 21% and AIDS-related deaths have decreased by 6%. As of 2017, there are an estimated 3.1 million people in Nigeria living with HIV/AIDS.

#2 Life Expectancy

Nigeria has the lowest life expectancy in West Africa. The figure is pegged at 54.5 years according to the W.H.O.

Diseases like malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS have contributed to this low life expectancy. Also, poverty, illiteracy and unemployment are responsible for this figure.

Other causes of low life expectancy include poverty, illiteracy and unemployment. Also, the low life expectancy is due to the following: motor accident (16%); natural death (6%); stress (5%); high blood pressure (5%); poor medical care (3%); bad lifestyle (2%); high cost of living (2%), negligence amongst other.

However, the life expectancy has been improving over the last few years and it is expected to reach 74.8 years by 2040.

#3 Maternal mortality rate

According to the WHO, the chance of an average Nigerian woman dying from pregnancy complication is 1 in 13.

The data also revealed that the country loses about 145 women of childbearing age every year making it the second largest contributor to maternal mortality rate in the world. The causes of the high maternal mortality rate in the country are severe bleeding, infections, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (eclampsia), obstructed labour and complications following unsafe abortion.

#4 Access to water and sanitation facilities

It is necessary to improve the quality of life if you’re looking to improve the life expectancy of the country.

And one of the ways of improving the quality of life is by ensuring access to clean drinking water. It is said that 68.5% have improved means of access while 31.5% still struggle to get clean water.

Also, when it comes to access to sanitation facilities, only 29% of the entire population of Nigeria have improved sanitation access as compared to the 71% that are still struggling.

Overall, in 2013, an estimated 70 million people, out of a population of 171 million, lack access to safe drinking water, and over 110 million lacked access to improved sanitation. Open defecation rates, at 28.5 per cent pose grave public health risks. Many schools in Nigeria lack safe, private toilets and hand-washing facilities. This affects enrolment and performance, particularly in the case of girls. The impact of water, hygiene and sanitation falls disproportionately on women and girls, the main carriers of waters.

The economic impact of poor sanitation and hygiene cost the Nigerian economy the equivalent of almost 1.3 per cent of gross domestic product.

Consequently, an estimated 124,000 children under the age of 5 die every year because of diarrhoea, mainly due to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene. Lack of adequate water and sanitation are also major causes of other diseases, including respiratory infection and under-nutrition.

#5 Guinea worm disease

UNICEF has contributed to the eradication of guinea worm disease. In 2013, Nigeria was certified free of the disease.

#6 Malaria

According to the WHO, 3.4 billion people live in areas at risk of malaria transmission in 91 countries and territories.

Nigeria suffers the world’s greatest malaria burden, with approximately 51 million cases and 207,000 deaths reported annually. Consequently, the country bears approximately 30% of the total malaria burden in Africa.

Also, 97% of the 180 million Nigerians are at risk of infection and the disease accounts for 60 % of outpatient visits to hospitals and has led to approximately 11% maternal mortality and 30% child mortality, especially among children less than 5 years.

#7 Tuberculosis

Nigeria is among the 14 high burden countries for TB, TB/HIV and Multi-Drug Resistant TB. The country is ranked seventh among the 30 high TB burden countries and second in Africa.

Over the years, the incidence of tuberculosis has worsened as a result of drug-resistant TB and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Every year, 407,000 people in Nigeria contacted TB. This is the estimated number of HIV negative people. In addition, there are an estimated 63,000 HIV positive people that get TB each year. An estimated 115,000 HIV negative people die from TB in Nigeria each year and an estimated 39,000 HIV positive people also die. It is difficult to appreciate what it means for 154,000 people to be dying each year from TB so it can be helpful to read the page on dying from TB.

A major issue with TB in Nigeria is the low TB case finding for both adults and children. In 2017 only 104,904 TB cases were detected out of an estimated 407,000 of all TB cases expected to be detected in 2017.

It is also estimated by the WHO that 30,000 children contact TB in Nigeria each year and there are over 47,000 children that are eligible to receive preventative treatment. However, only about 8,500 children actually receive this preventative treatment.

#8 Chronic diseases

Chronic diseases also known as non-communicable diseases account for 24% of total deaths, where cardiovascular diseases take a lead of 7% of deaths attributable to NCDs, while cancers, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases account for 3%, 2% and 1% of proportional mortality.

According to the W.H.O, the probability of dying prematurely from NCDs in Nigeria is reported at 20%.

#9 Early childhood mortality

Over the past five years, infant and under-five mortality rates have remained steady in Nigeria, at 74 and 117 deaths per 1,000 live births, respectively. At these mortality levels, one Nigerian child of every 13 born dies before reaching age 1, and one in every eight does not survive to their fifth birthday.

However, infant and under-five mortality rates have both declined gradually over the past 25 years, down from 126 and 213, respectively, in 1990.

#EBOLA VIRUS

The West African Ebola virus epidemic was the most widespread outbreak of Ebola virus disease in history—causing major loss of life and socioeconomic disruption in the region, mainly in the countries of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

Ebola virus disease (EVD), also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) or simply Ebola, is a viral hemorrhagic fever of humans and other primates caused by ebolaviruses.

Commonly asked questions about Ebola Virus  include  questions like;

Can Ebola be cured?

Ebola virus disease (research) or simply Ebola, is a disease that affects humans and other primates caused by ebolaviruses; there is no cure or specific treatment that is currently approved, treatment is primarily supportive in nature.

Can Ebola be Cured?

Ebola virus disease is a serious, often fatal condition in humans and nonhuman primates. Ebola is one of several viral hemorrhagic fevers, caused by infection with a virus of the Filoviridae family, genus Ebolavirus. The fatality rates of Ebola vary depending on the strain.

What happens when you get Ebola? Ebola is a rare but deadly virus that causes fever, body aches, and diarrhea, and sometimes bleeding inside and outside the body. As the virus spreads through the body, it damages the immune system and organs. Ultimately, it causes levels of blood-clotting cells to drop. This leads to severe, uncontrollable bleeding.

Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. … The virus can also spread to people through direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected fruit bats or primates. People can get the virus through sexual contact as well.
Recovery may begin between 7 and 14 days after first symptoms. Death, if it occurs, follows typically 6 to 16 days from first symptoms and is often due to low blood pressure from fluid loss. In general, bleeding often indicates a worse outcome, and blood loss may result in death.

Conclusion

So far we’ve been able to see the benefits and importance of Health statics. A healthy lifestyle has both short and long term health benefits. Long term, eating a balanced diet, taking regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight can add years to your life and reduce the risk of certain diseases including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and obesity.