COMMUNITY HEALTH EDUCATION PROGRAM ON CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES IN A HARD-TO-REACH AREA IN MANGOCHI, MALAWI

Date : 8th October 2024
Venue : Masasa Village, Mangochi

BACKGROUND

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) pose a growing health challenge in Malawi, where chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, bronchiectasis, and tuberculosis (TB) significantly impact adult populations. A recent analysis highlights an age-standardized mortality rate across four major NCDs (cardiovascular disease, CRDs, cancer, and diabetes) at 721 per 100,000 in males and 523 in females in 2021. Yet, primary healthcare facilities often lack adequate diagnostic resources for these conditions, as demonstrated by Banda et al., who found that only 4.6% of patients with respiratory symptoms had recorded diagnoses.