Population and human health
Hefnawi, F.I.; Ahmed, W.
Population Sciences 3: 35-41
1982
ISSN/ISBN: 1110-7502 PMID: 12266216 Document Number: 192519
The nature, proportions, causes, effects and cures of the Egyptian population crisis are analyzed. If the world population growth rate of 2% continues by the year 2000 a population of 6.5 billion can be expected. By 2115 the world population will have doubled. The greatest increase in population is made by developing countries, e.g. Egypt's population will double in 25 years, Turkey's in 26 years, and Algeria's in 21 years. National health goals become increasingly difficult to achieve under these conditions. For overpopulated countries the options of migration, resource transfer, and fertility control have both positive and negative effects. For Egypt, migration of medical manpower is a major factor responsible for low health standards. Technology transferred from developed countries to assist overpopulated developing countries to increase production of all resources is a slow procedure. Fertility control will slow population growth, reduce maternal morbidity, create smaller families which may result in better psychological family health and therefore better level of job performance. It will also permit women to participate in the work force more easily and earn independent incomes. The effects of health improvement have also been positive and negative in Egypt. The Egyptian population is still growing at a rate .3% higher than the world rate. This situation has resulted from a decline in the death rate rather than in an increase in fertility. The death rate dropped from 32.9 in 1937 to 26.8 in 1947 to 15.8 in 1967. Fertility is close to 5.5 which is no higher than the world average. The drop in death rattes is due to better sanitation, extension of medical services, immunization campaigns, expansiion of health education and greater availability of foo. Reduction of morbidity coupled with health improvement is hoped to foster increased acceptance of fertility control, increased population attention to and acceptance of fertility counseling and increased funding for research in contraceptives responsive to the biosocial needs of the population. Effective fertility control is limited by the unavailability of contraceptive methods satisfying all areas of acceptability, the need to expand national programs and the need to include social and economic factors in fertility control programs.