Lagos — Despite prevention and control efforts, malaria, Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS remain the biggest health issues in West African sub region with children, women, especially pregnant ones at the receiving end. However, regardless of all actions taken, the situation is still alarming. Recently however, women across the West African sub region, under the auspices of West African Women Association (WAWA) converged on Dakar, Senegal to look for a way out in the fight against these diseases.

Malaria is still the biggest health issue in Africa with an estimated 74 per cent of the African population living in the endemic region. In West Africa, the morbidity and maternal death rate are higher than anywhere in the world. The effects of Malaria, AIDS and Tuberculosis: poor economical production and low education level are serious problems making women and young African girls more vulnerable. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), adult men and women are equally vulnerable to malaria infection, except for pregnant women who are at greater risk of severe malaria because of their decrease in immunity. However, the true burden of malaria is difficult to estimate as many people are treated at home. There are also indications in some areas that women may not have full access to malaria prevention and treatment resources.

In most African communities, non-governmental organisations have played an essential role to increase access to care and treatment against Malaria, AIDS and Tuberculosis. Regrettably, the vulnerability of women to these diseases is indeed an impediment for their participation in the process of development. Nigerian women also face similar socio-economic and political predicaments such as unemployment, low incomes, poor skills, high crime environment, poor housing and poverty as experienced in other African countries.

One association that has committed itself to promote women's participation in the decision making processes, through economic empowerment and the enhancement of trans-border commercial activities is the West African Women Association (WAWA). This regional association of women was formed in 1983 in the Guinean Capital, Conakry, during an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) summit of head of governments to assist in alleviating the plight of women through the promotion of Women economic status in West Africa. In 1998, the association was recognised as an autonomous body and relocated to Dakar with support from the Government of Senegal.Living to its expectation of women empowerment, between July 28 and 31, 2009, women across the West African sub-region converged on Dakar, Senegal for the fifth edition of WAWA's regional forum. The theme of this year's forum was: "The Problematic of Women Health on their Economical Activities in West Africa: Women's Intake Against Malaria, Tuberculosis and AIDS.

The four day conference, which was geared towards capacity building for women also, had representatives from international organisation/government representatives, ECOWAS, UNICEF and Ministry of Health amongst others. At the opening ceremony held at the Banquet Hall of the Le Meridian Presidential Hotel, Dakar, Senegalese, President, Abduolaye Wade commended the African women for their efforts He said people should stop paying lip service to the health issues. The Senegalese helmsman advised women to embark on action and take the campaign beyond the confine of air-conditioned rooms. According to him, health is an important issue in development matters, while education only aids creativity.

"The relationship between health and development should not be debated, but should be integrated for overall continental growth. Without health we cannot have full development. Malaria which kills millions of people worldwide is responsible for maternal mortality and morbidity, which makes Africa to be seen as a continent where death subsists," Wade said. He said HIV/AIDS is not diseases from the other side like some people believe, but the race against it seems to have been lost. "However, preventive measures are being put in place in the absence of total cure. And as the search continues, there is need for more behavioural change towards reducing the devastating impact of the epidemic in Africa and the world as a whole".

Just as negative impact of malaria and other health related issues have been widely demonstrated in sub-Saharan Africa, according to numerous studies, women are vulnerable to malaria infection due the productive roles they play in the society. And even in the countries where the global prevalence is low or decreasing, the number of women infected and affected is on the increase. In the absence of malaria, a symbolic relation has also been established between tuberculosis and poverty. However, understanding the connection between tuberculosis is one of the first steps towards eradicating it. However, experts who presented papers at the conference lamented that lack of data per sex in the health sector is a true handicap for the establishment and follow up of effective actions for these diseases as many people are treated at home.

But at the heart of this problematic health issues are women, and having realised this, the overall objectives of this year's forum centered on a global thinking on the contribution of women on the fight against malaria, AIDS and Tuberculosis, the vulnerability of the West African women regarding these diseases, the impact on the economic activities and the strategic action plan to fight these diseases. Despite various international/regional organisations commitment to advance the course of women, WAWA at the conference was of the view that more still needed to be done. According to the body, to reach the six of the Millennium Development Goals, African governments and development partners should collaborate with civil society organisations and private sector in intensifying efforts in providing care services on sexual hygiene as well as reproductive health of women and girl-child. While related United Nations institutions, various government organisations and non-governmental organisations have worked frantically to eliminate malaria and other related diseases, the impact is not really being felt.

Some of the problems identified at the conference were lack of information and massive poverty, which often makes it very difficult for women, most especially in rural areas to seek medical attention. Cultural barriers it is noted hinder women's ability to seek information and express themselves, thereby suffer in silence. While illiteracy, lack of adequate funds to execute projects have been identified as major problems, unnecessary use of funds on administrative matters more than the treatment of the diseases itself are setback for the purpose it was set up to serve. What is the way forward? It was concluded that WAWA chapters should familiarise and introduce themselves to Ministry of Health in their various countries to be able to strengthen their commitment to the health issues. WAWA headquarters should also intensify efforts to lobby in policy formation and strategic planning at the international levels. They also should be able to organise and mobilise women. In doing so, women would embark on activities that would improve their finance.

The forum also agreed that people should be informed more about TB, which many believe has been totally eradicated. They further stressed that people saddled with dissemination of information on TB should go to the drawing board and employ a method that would re-awakened people's consciousness that TB still exists. Treatment centres should be established and possibly separated from the circular hospitals, WAWA emphasised. At the end of the meeting, the focal person for WAWA in Nigeria, Mrs. Ubeku said, "I am happy that we have progressive partner such as UNICEF within us. I believe if we trust ourselves and work together in unity, we should be able to pull women forward," she said.