Childhood blindness: dateline Africa

Abstract

Prevalence rates of childhood blindness and infant and childhood mortality in Africa are the highest in the world. Major factors contributing to these high rates are similar for both blindness and mortality: malnutrition, measles and other acute febrile infections, malnutrition with xerophthalmia, and limited or poor access to preventive and curative health services. Because of high national growth rates, stagnant economies, and the failure of national health care systems to expand with rapidly growing populations, childhood blindness in Africa likely will remain a significant international public health problem for the foreseeable future.