South Asia
The biggest health challenge in South Asia is that people aren’t getting the health care they need, especially in rural areas where there are very few doctors and hospitals. In my village, there is a clinic nearby, but most people can’t afford to buy medicine or see a doctor.
A lot of kids are getting sick because they aren’t getting the health care they need.
The war in Sri Lanka has made it even harder for people to see a doctor because it has stopped clinics from being built and because doctors don’t want to work in dangerous places.
A lot of kids are getting sick because they aren’t getting the health care they need. These five diseases are most serious in South Asia, especially for children and pregnant women: AIDS, diarrhea, malaria, measles and pneumonia.
Quick Facts About Health in South Asia
- More than five million people are living with HIV/AIDS in India alone.
- People in rural areas don’t know how to protect themselves from getting sick. Most women in rural places have never even heard of HIV/AIDS.
- South Asia has the lowest rate of births attended by a nurse or doctor. In India, it’s less than half.