The Plague of Disease and Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa suffers high death rates from curable diseases because of the regional problem of severe poverty. Six of the top seven causes of death in this area are preventable. HIV/AIDS is the one cause that is not yet curable; 95 percent of HIV deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa. The remaining top six causes of death—acute respiratory infection, malaria, diarrheal disease, prenatal conditions, measles, and tuberculosis—are all curable or preventable but remain a problem in sub-Saharan Africa because of severe poverty.

The leading indicators of poverty are low income, poor access to improved water, illiteracy, poor medical services, low life expectancy, and malnourishment. These maps express these indicators and show how sub-Saharan Africa is trapped in severe poverty and needless death. This visualization will hopefully prompt action to help break this desperate cycle.