Swaziland

Swaziland is a landlocked country in southeastern Africa, between South Africa and Mozambique. The kingdom won independence from Britain in 1968. There is some wealth in Swaziland, but it is usually held by foreigners and does not do much to benefit the people. Most of the population gets by on subsistence agriculture, with 70 percent of Swazis living below the poverty line. Swaziland now has the world's highest rate of HIV/AIDS infections, with an average life expectancy of less than 33 years.

The population is estimated at 1,133,000 and it's growth rate is actually in deficit at −0.337 percent annually. The birth rate is 26.98 per 1,000 but the death rate is higher, at 30.35 deaths per 1,000. Median age is 18.6. Life expectancy is just 31.84 years for males and 32.62 years for females. Gross national income is $2,280 per capita, with 8 percent living on less than $1 a day and 69 percent living in poverty. Persistent drought has reduced crop yields in recent years, and a quarter of the population required food aid in 2004–05.

AIDS and tuberculosis have spread throughout the population of Swaziland since the first AIDS cases was diagnosed in 1986. In 1999, King Mswati III declared it a national disaster. The adult prevalence rate for HIV/AIDS is 39 percent, or over 220,000 people. There have been some 17,000 AIDS-related deaths. The tuberculosis prevalence rate is even worse, at 1,089 cases per 100,000 and 289 deaths per 100,000. Pulmonary TB is the leading cause of death in Swaziland, with AIDS the [Page 1636]third leading cause. The government is trying to provide both preventative and palliative services to the people, but with so many sick and dying, it is difficult to mount effective campaigns.

Swazis do have other heath problems, including a high rate of acute respiratory infections, diarrhea, malaria and schistosomiasis. Non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes are a growing problem. The Ministry of Health has noted an increased rate of depression, schizophrenia, and epilepsy in recent years. With an urban population growing at 7.5 percent annually, traffic accidents and other injuries are becoming common.

Women and children's health is threatened from any number of directions. More than half of AIDS cases are women, with an estimated 120,000 infected. In 1992, about 4 percent of pregnant women were infected. Today, 39 percent of pregnant women have the virus. About 63,000 children have already been orphaned by AIDS. Child mortality is high, with 160 deaths per 1,000 in those aged 1 to 5 years. Malaria is a leading cause. Maternal mortality is also high, at 340 deaths per 100,000 live births.

Swaziland's medical system includes 153 clinics, nine health centers and six hospitals, with up to 90 percent of hospital beds located within the cities. There are 171 physicians and 4,590 nurses working in the country. Due to the lack of services, many Swazis rely on traditional healers. Annual expenditures on health absorb 7–9 percent of the government's revenues, and the kingdom is trying to find ways to make heath care more affordable for all.

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