Medicine and Health in Africa

In the last two decades, the implosion of African economies under the burden of debt, the negative repercussions of the structural adjustment programs, the crisis of legitimacy, civil wars, and the collapse of some states resulted in a serious health crisis across the continent. Newly emerging diseases, such as Ebola virus and HIV/AIDS, killed and disabled millions. Some "old diseases", such as yellow fever, tuberculosis, and polio, have reappeared. Malaria, cholera, and meningitis continue to kill thousands. In many countries, the medical infrastructure has collapsed, while an increasing number of physicians and nurses have migrated to more hospitable places. Stigmatization of the affected people has compounded on previous social and racial discrimination, and has affected the implementation of national and international public health programs. The complexity of the situation requires an interdisciplinary approach. Including contributions by historians, sociologists, anthropologists, and biologists, this essay collection emphasizes the social and cultural contexts of African health, paying particular attention to the history of the colonial public health system and its legacy. The essays included here were presented at the Health and Medicine in Africa Workshop, organized by the editors in April of 2005, at Bryn Mawr College.