MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
|
|
Laos
Index
Health and health care in Laos were poor in the early
1990s.
Although diets are not grossly inadequate, chronic
moderate vitamin
and protein deficiencies are common, particularly among
upland
ethnic groups. Poor sanitation and the prevalence of
several
tropical diseases further eroded the health of the
population.
Western medical care is available in few locations, and
the quality
and experience of practitioners are, for the most part,
marginal,
a situation that has not improved much since the 1950s.
The life expectancy at birth for men and women in Laos
was
estimated in 1988 at forty-nine years, the same as in
Cambodia but
at least ten years lower than in any other Southeast Asian
nation.
High child and infant mortality rates strongly affected
this
figure, with the Ministry of Public Health estimating the
infant
mortality rate at 109 per 1,000 and the under-five
mortality rate
at 170 per 1,000 in 1988. The United Nations Children's
Fund
(UNICEF--see Glossary)
believed these figures
underestimated the
true mortality rate but still represented decreases from
comparable
rates in 1960. Regional differences were great. Whereas
the infant
mortality rate for Vientiane was about 50 per 1,000, in
some remote
rural areas it was estimated to be as high as 350 per
1,000 live
births; that is, 35 percent of all children died before
the age of
one.
Children's deaths are primarily due to communicable
diseases,
with malaria, acute respiratory infections, and diarrhea
the main
causes of mortality as well as morbidity. Vaccination
against
childhood diseases was expanding, but in 1989 Vientiane's
municipal
authorities still were unable to vaccinate more than 50
percent of
targeted children. Other provinces have much lower rates
of
immunization. Malaria is widespread among both adults and
children,
with the parasite Plasmodium falciparum involved in
80 to 90
percent of the cases.
In the first malaria eradication program between
1956-60, DDT
was sprayed over much of the country. Since 1975 the
government has
steadily increased its activities to eradicate malaria.
The
Ministry of Public Health operates provincial stations to
monitor
and combat malaria through diagnosis and treatment.
Prevention
measures involve chemical prophylaxis to high-risk groups,
elimination of mosquito breeding sites, and promotion of
individual
protection. The campaign has had some success: the
ministry
reported a decline in the infected population from 26
percent to 15
percent between 1975 and 1990.
As of 1993, diarrheal diseases were also common, with
regular
outbreaks occurring annually at the beginning of the rainy
season
when drinking water is contaminated by human and animal
wastes
washing down hillsides. Only a few rural households have
pit or
water-seal toilets, and people commonly relieve themselves
in the
brush or forested areas surrounding each village. For
children in
these villages, many of whom are chronically
undernourished, acute
or chronic diarrhea is life-threatening because it results
in
dehydration and can precipitate severe malnutrition.
Although nutrition appears to be marginal in the
general
population, health surveys are of varying quality. Some
data
indicate that stunting--low height for age--in the
under-five
population ranged from 2 to 35 percent, while wasting--low
weight
for height--probably does not exceed 10 percent of the
under-five
population. These figures reflect village diets based
predominantly
on rice, with vegetables as a common accompaniment and
animal
protein--fish, chicken, and wild foods--eaten irregularly.
Children
aged six months to two years--the weaning period--are
particularly
susceptible to undernutrition. The nutritional status of
adults is
related closely to what is being grown on the family farm,
as well
as to dietary habits. For example, fresh vegetables and
fruits are
not highly valued and therefore are not consumed in
adequate
amounts. As a result, it is likely that vitamin A, iron,
and
calcium deficiencies are common in all parts of the
country.
Data as of July 1994
|
|