An article in the Science Daily estimates that by 2015 Africa will need nearly 800 000 health care professionals to address the shortages in the profession. In addition it is projected that in order to upgrade the health care system in the region would run to $19 billion per year. It is estimated that up to 500 000 women die from complications related to childbirth and pregnancy due to insufficient or inadequate health resources. A furhter three million babies are stillborn and 2.9 million die from HIV/AIDS.

Africa has seen a population growth of 100 million souls in 1900 to 770 in 2005. Projections by the United Nations published in 2007 put the number of 1.5 to 2 billion people by 2050. Currently two out of every three people in Africa are younger than 25 years of age. There are 32 individuals per square kilometer and about two thirds live in rural areas, however migration to towns and cities are growing, it is foreseen that by 2030 half of all Africans will live in cities and towns. Most African women do not have access to contraception and have two or three times more children than women in the rest of the world.

While nearly 25 percent of all diseases can be found in Africa, the three most deadly in terms of deaths per year are as follows:

HIV/AIDS

HIV infection is one of the major concerns in sub-Saharan Africa. Since the middle of 2004, there has been a huge campaign to provide antiretroviral treatment (ART) across sub-Saharan Africa, this has been described as the largest ever public health experiment on the continent. Whilst the short-term benefits for HIV infected individuals are documented fact, there remains significant doubt about the long term influence on sub-Saharan African populations, particularly in terms of the rapid spread of the disease. Rates of new infection remain high.
In many parts of Africa tuberculoses infections are now rising due to the compromised immune systems of the people in areas where the disease is endemic in the population.

Malaria
Malaria has been part of Africa for as long as history is recorded, yet there is very little that is being done to prevent the spread of malaria on the continent. The malaria parasite is spread by the infected female mosquito and is a potentially fatal disease. Malaria kills more than 800 000 people every year, and according to a press release issued by GlaxcoSmithlKline, the majority of this number is children under the age of five.

The North and Middle East areas of Africa have a low risk of malaria. Areas south of the Sahara have a significant malaria risk.

Cholera
This infections disease occurs at regular intervals in Africa in densely populated poor areas, with little or no water management systems in place. In 2004 there was 101 383 cases of cholera in the world of which 95 000 was found on the African continent.