African Health Ministers Adopt Landmark Framework to Tackle Oral Diseases

African ministers of health have adopted a new regional framework aimed at accelerating action against oral health diseases, which affect about 42 per cent of the continent’s population.

The framework was endorsed on Tuesday at the 75th session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa in Lusaka, Zambia.

It sets ambitious targets, including ensuring that at least half of each country’s population has access to essential oral health services, a 10 per cent reduction in the prevalence of major oral diseases, and that by 2028, 60 per cent of African countries have national oral health policies backed by budgets and trained staff.

Also central to the plan is the integration of noma—a neglected but devastating disease—into national health strategies in at least 50 per cent of endemic countries.

“Oral diseases have been largely neglected, making them among the most prevalent in our region,” said Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

“Our efforts to address this threat need to be robust, concerted and sustained. The framework agreed today highlights the urgent need for countries to prioritize oral health, ensuring adequate financing, workforce and leadership through a more integrated people-centred approach.”

WHO says oral health must be treated as a key part of universal health coverage.

To that end, it has supported governments with technical expertise, training, and advocacy.

Recent milestones include the abolition of toothpaste tax in Mauritius to expand access to fluoride toothpaste, enrolment of more than 14,000 health workers in WHO oral health training, and progress in securing recognition of noma as a neglected tropical disease in 14 countries.

Senegal’s Health Minister, Ibrahima Sy, welcomed the framework, stressing his country’s commitment to tackling noma and other oral health challenges.

“Senegal has long recognized noma as a critical public health issue. We are committed to ensuring that we are at the forefront of protecting people against oral diseases through a multisectoral approach,” he said.

Despite the scale of the challenge, investment in oral health across the region remains low. In 2019, more than 70 per cent of African countries spent less than US$1 per capita on oral health, far below the global average of US$50.

Only four countries had national fluoride guidelines as of 2023, and the region continues to face a severe shortage of oral health professionals—just 3.7 per 100,000 people, compared to the 13.3 required to meet current service demand.

To close these gaps, the framework outlines five priority actions: strengthening leadership and financing, developing national oral health policies, integrating oral health into essential service packages, bridging workforce deficits through task-sharing, and improving access to medicines and disease surveillance.

Health ministers pledged to mobilize political will, domestic and external resources, and technical expertise to ensure the framework delivers tangible results for millions of Africans at risk of preventable oral diseases.

Experts Warn Untreated Vaginal Infections Can Lead to Infertility, Ectopic Pregnancy 

Reproductive health experts have cautioned women against neglecting vaginal infections, warning that untreated cases could result in long-term complications, including infertility, ectopic pregnancy, chronic pelvic pain and miscarriage.

The gynaecologists, in separate interviews with PUNCH Healthwise, explained that while many women dismiss early symptoms such as unusual discharge, itching and foul odour, untreated infections often spread from the vagina to the cervix, uterus and fallopian tubes, causing irreversible damage to reproductive organs.

A Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Ibadan and second Vice President of the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON), Prof. Chris Aimakhu, noted that infections could be caused by bacteria, fungi or viruses, with some posing greater threats than others.

He said poor hygiene, sexually transmitted infections and bacterial organisms were common sources of contamination, stressing that women were particularly vulnerable to fungal infections such as candidiasis.

“The vagina is an open place that is not protected, and women can have contamination from the outside. The most common fungal infections like Candida thrive easily in moist environments. We also see viral infections such as HIV, human papillomavirus, herpes simplex and hepatitis, though bacterial infections remain the most frequent,” Aimakhu said.

According to him, untreated vaginal infections could escalate into pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), an ascending infection that damages the uterus and fallopian tubes. He warned that PID can lead to ectopic pregnancy, infertility, abscess formation inside the pelvis and chronic pelvic pain.

“Blocked or damaged fallopian tubes are one of the most common ways infections lead to infertility. When the infection ascends, it can block the tubes, preventing sperm and eggs from meeting. This is why childbirth should be conducted in a hygienic environment,” he added.

Also speaking, a Consultant Gynaecologist and Medical Director of The Strong Tower Specialist Hospital and Fertility Centre, Dr. Ayodele Ademola, identified bacterial sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea as the most dangerous for fertility.

“The commonest infections that can affect fertility are chlamydia and gonorrhoea. These are silent and often not detected in routine laboratory tests, but when advanced, they block the fallopian tubes or damage reproductive structures. Fungal infections like yeast infections are common but largely cause discomfort rather than infertility or cancer,” he said.

Ademola further explained that untreated infections could also affect men, leading to conditions such as obstructive azoospermia, where sperm cells are absent in semen due to blocked reproductive passages.

“Untreated reproductive tract infections can cause strictures or damage to passages, making conception impossible. Some infections even affect implantation, such as tuberculosis of the endometrium. This is why treatment should always be handled by specialists,” he warned.

Both experts urged women to seek prompt medical attention rather than rely on self-medication or unverified remedies, noting that early detection and treatment remain key to preventing permanent reproductive health challenges.

US Fertility Rate Plummets to 1.6 Kids per Woman

The US fertility rate has dropped to an all-time low, with the average number of children per woman standing at just over 1.6 births per woman in 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This rate is well below the replacement rate needed to sustain a population, which is about 2.1 births per woman over her lifetime.

The decline in fertility rates is attributed to various factors, including women delaying childbirth or opting out altogether.

Birth rates have dropped for teenagers and women in their 20s and 30s, with the sharpest decline observed in teenagers and women in their 20s.

The birth rate for women aged 20-24 reached a record low of 55.4 births per 1,000 women in 2023.

The CDC report also highlights that the total number of births in the country was the lowest it’s been in decades, with approximately 3.6 million babies born in 2023.

This represents a 2% decline in total births and a 3% decline in births per 1,000 women compared to the previous year.

The fertility rate decline is a continuation of a trend that began in the 1960s, with some fluctuations in recent years.

The rate had briefly increased from 2020 to 2021 but has since resumed its downward trend. The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics analyzed data from over 99% of birth certificates issued in 2023 to arrive at these findings.

In response to the declining birth rate, the Trump administration has taken steps to increase access to fertility treatments, such as in vitro fertilization, and has proposed measures like “baby bonuses” to encourage couples to have children.