Africa and Immigrant Health
Africa is both the second largest and second most populated continent in the world. Recent 2009 figures indicate that the population of the continent has surpassed one billion. Africa is comprised of 54 countries and over 1,000 spoken languages. It is rich in culture and natural resources. However, it remains one of the poorest continents in the world. This poverty is driven in part by ineffective government; despotism (dictatorship or tyranny); frequent military, tribal, political, and religious conflicts and war; as well as natural disasters. Such conditions are inextricably linked to outcomes such as malnutrition, inadequate water supply and sanitation, high prevalence rates of human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), and infectious and parasitic diseases. These outcomes, in turn, negatively impact health and strain already weak health care systems. The combination of rich culture, abundant natural resources, and...
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Okafor, MT.C. (2012). Africa. In: Loue, S., Sajatovic, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Immigrant Health. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5659-0_24
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5659-0_24
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