Zambia
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In the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices and a prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule, but the subsequent vote in 1996 saw blatant harassment of opposition parties. The election in 2001 was marked by administrative problems with at least two parties filing legal petitions challenging the results. Opposition parties currently hold a majority of seats in the National Assembly.
Privatization of government-owned copper mines relieved the government's debt from massive losses generated by the industry and greatly improved the chances for copper mining to return to profitability and spur economic growth. However, low mineral prices have slowed the benefits from privatizing the mines and reduced incentives for further private investment in the sector. Unemployment rates remain high, but GDP growth should continue at about 4%.
The country is affected by disasters including floods, droughts, epidemics and refugee influxes.
Zambia is currently home to an estimated 62,000 refugees, who fled the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and Rwanda. Some 42,000 of these refugees have settled in Meheba and Mayukwayukwa refugee camps.
While 62 per cent of the population has no access to safe water, 25 per cent has no access to health services and a further 29 per cent without access to sanitation. In 2001, 120,000 Zambians died from AIDS.
The World Health Organization reports that in Africa measles caused 426,000 childhood deaths and malaria caused 963,000 total deaths, most of them children. Recent studies suggest the malaria mortality burden may be higher. In Zambia, more than three million cases of malaria are reported annually. In 2001, the measles statistics were also alarming, with more than 33,000 cases and 3,700 deaths reported.
Health
In Zambia, measles is one of the five major causes of childhood illness, contributing about 70% of under-five morbidity and mortality. Outbreaks of measles continue to occur seasonally and sporadically in both rural and urban districts of the country.
From 1991 to 2000, the annual number of reported measles cases ranged from 2,822 to 30,930. More than 50% of reported measles cases were in children five years of age and older-and only 2% were older than 14.
According to the Proposal on Accelerated Measles Control in Zambia, there were 33,318 reported measles cases in 2001. Fifty percent of these cases and 64% of the measles-related deaths occurred in children under the age of five.
Two-thirds of Zambian children under the age of six are Vitamin A deficient. Vitamin A supplementation will help to prevent up to 23% of child deaths from measles, diarrhoea and pneumonia.
Another problem is the soil-transmitted helminth or worm infections, which occur widely in tropical and sub-tropical areas and especially among poor populations.
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