Epidemics and the Health of African Nations

News footage of disease in Africa is a familiar
sight. Yet these outbreaks are often presented out of context, with no
reference to the conditions that have triggered them. MISTRA’s new book,
Epidemics and the Health of African Nations, aims to redress
that. Researchers and practitioners from within the continent explore
why Africa is so vulnerable to disease, and show how this vulnerability
is closely linked to political and economic factors. They demonstrate
how these same factors determine the way epidemics are treated.

Authors
extract lessons from case studies in different parts of Africa;
challenge conventional frameworks about disease to argue for a
‘syndemics’ approach that takes into account the interrelationship
between disease and political and socio-economic contexts; explore
challenges of Africa’s future. They argue that a well-functioning health
system is at the core of a country’s capacity to counter an epidemic.

This
volume brings African experts together to probe possible solutions to
the continent’s heavy burden of disease. The insights offered will be
helpful in devising policy for the control of disease and the combatting
of epidemics in Africa.