The World Health Organization′s Africa office said on Thursday that Africa saw a ten-year increase in healthy life expectancy from 2000 to 2019, outpacing the global average and any other regions development over the same time.

According to Dr. Lindiwe Makubalo, WHO Africa′s associate regional director, the region′s healthy life expectancy increased by approximately ten years, from 46 years in 2000 to 56 years in 2019. The increase is more than the five-year increase in the average healthy life expectancy across the globe during the same period. It is attributed to better maternal and productive health, improved coverage, and health services to combat infectious diseases.

The COVID-19 pandemic has strained health systems across the continent, but other disease outbreaks, including monkeypox, cholera, and Lassa fever, have also contributed to this. Five of these outbreaks currently affect some countries, including Nigeria, the most populous country on the continent.

Dr. Makubalo stated that increasing public health funding would significantly improve the health systems beyond pre-pandemic levels and achieve "quality, equitable, and accessible services for all." Makubalo further mentioned, "We do need to sustain investments, to sustain efforts, to continue to build and to continue to work together." (ETHealthWorld, Aug 5, 2022)