Algeria

Algeria is located in north Africa between Libya, Tunisia, and Morocco and is the second largest country on the continent. Seized as a French colony in 1830, it launched a violent bid for independence in 1954 and was finally surrendered by the French in 1962. Subsequent governments were unable to build a social and political structure that pleased the various cultural and religious factions within the country. In 1992, civil war broke out between the National Liberation Front (FLN) and the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS). By the time the FIS was disbanded in 2000, more than 100,000 Algerians were dead. Low-level Islamic insurgency continues today.

The population of Algeria is now approximately 3,333,000, and is growing at a rate of 1.22 percent annually. The birth rate is 17.11 per 1,000 population, with a death rate of 4.62 per 1,000 population. Median age is 25.5 years. The current life expectancy is 71.91 years for males and 75.21 years for females. Gross national income is low at US$2,730 per capita, and 25 percent of the population live under the poverty line. Sixty percent of Algerians live in urban areas, and the economy is dominated by natural gas and oil production along the coast.

Algeria does not suffer from a large number of communicable diseases. The country lies north of the malaria zone and has about 450 cases a year. There is a high risk of cutaneous leishmaniasis in some regions. Trachoma, a degenerative eye infection that can lead to blindness, is common in rural areas. Sanitation is generally good, with 85 percent of the population able to access clean water and 92 percent using sanitary waste facilities. There are, however, some outbreaks of diarrhea, typhoid fever, and hepatitis A. In 2003, the country suffered its first outbreak of the plague since 1950. There were 11 confirmed and seven suspected cases and one known fatality. HIV/AIDS has not emerged as a major threat in Algeria, with an adult prevalence rate of 0.1 percent. About 19,000 Algerians have contracted the virus, and slightly over 500 have died. The government has shown a high level of commitment to treatment and prevention, but educational programs are lagging to some degree, and a large number of vulnerable young people do not yet understand the basics of prevention.

Noncommunicable diseases cause the most problems for Algerians, causing 66 percent of deaths each year. Cardiovascular disease is the cause of more than 50 percent of all deaths. Cancers cause another 20 percent. Lifestyle surveys show that most Algerians stay away from alcohol and over 55 percent get their full five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. But on the negative side, 32.3 percent of men smoke daily, and 21.4 percent of women have a high body mass index. The diabetes rate is around 6 percent.

The health of women and children has improved since the end of the civil war. Infant and child mortality has fallen, with 34 deaths per 1,000 births in infants under the age of 1, and 39 death per 1,000 for children between the ages of 1 and 5. Use of contraceptives among women has risen to 57 percent, and the fertility rate is 1.86 children per woman. Eighty-one percent receive prenatal care and 96 percent give birth with the help of trained assistants. The maternal mortality rate is 140 deaths per 100,000 live births. Immunization rates have risen for children, and more girls are going to school. However, 25 percent of children go to work between the ages of 5–14, especially in rural districts. Algeria devotes 3.6 percent of its Gross Domestic Product to health and spends about US$94 per capita. The country has a large pool of medical professionals, including more than 35,000 doctors and 62,000 nurses. Despite these factors, the health system is overburdened and poorly organized outside the cities. Many people choose to go to traditional healers to meet their health needs.

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