Editing Namibia (section)

===Health===
{{Main|Health in Namibia}}
{{See also|HIV/AIDS in Namibia}}

[[Life expectancy]] at birth is estimated to be 64 years in 2017&nbsp;– among the lowest in the world.<ref>{{cite web|title=Life Expectancy ranks|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html?countryName=Namibia&countryCode=wa&regionCode=afr&rank=210#wa|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523043802/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html?countryName=Namibia&countryCode=wa&regionCode=afr&rank=210#wa|archive-date=23 May 2020|access-date=26 August 2017|work=The World Factbook}}</ref>

Namibia launched a National Health Extension Programme in 2012<ref>{{cite web|date=16 October 2012|title=Namibia: Health Extension Programme Will Bridge Gaps Â? Unicef|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201210160334.html|access-date=26 August 2017|website=AllAfrica.com}}</ref> deployment 1,800 (2015) of a total ceiling of 4,800 health extension workers trained for six months in community health activities including first aid, health promotion for disease prevention, nutritional assessment and counseling, water sanitation and hygiene practices, HIV testing and community-based antiretroviral treatment.<ref>{{cite web|date=7 August 2015|title=Going the extra mile to deliver health care|url=https://www.unicef.org/namibia/Health_Worker_HIS_print.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711093332/https://www.unicef.org/namibia/Health_Worker_HIS_print.pdf|archive-date=11 July 2018|access-date=11 July 2018|publisher=unicef}}</ref>

Namibia faces a non-communicable disease burden. The Demographic and Health Survey (2013) summarises findings on elevated blood pressure, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity:
* Among eligible respondents age 35–64, 44% of women and 45% of men have elevated blood pressure or are currently taking medicine to lower their blood pressure.
* 49% of women and 61% of men are not aware that they have elevated blood pressure.
* 43% of women and 34% of men with hypertension are taking medication for their condition.
* Only 29% of women and 20% of men with hypertension are taking medication and have their blood pressure under control.
* 6% of women and 7%  of men are diabetic; that is, they have elevated fasting plasma glucose values or report that they are taking diabetes medication. An additional 7% of women and 6% of men are prediabetic.
* 67% of women and 74% of men with diabetes are taking medication to lower their blood glucose.
* Women and men with a higher-than-normal body mass index (25.0 or higher) are more likely to have elevated blood pressure and elevated fasting blood glucose.<ref name=":3"/>{{rp|237}}

[[File:AIDS and HIV prevalence 2008.svg|thumb|upright=1.3|Estimated percentage of HIV among young adults (15–49) per country {{as of|2011|lc=y}}:<ref>{{cite web|title=AIDSinfo|url=http://www.unaids.org/en/dataanalysis/datatools/aidsinfo/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130305203900/http://www.unaids.org/en/dataanalysis/datatools/aidsinfo/|archive-date=5 March 2013|access-date=4 March 2013|website=UNAIDS}}</ref>
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{{legend|#b00000|<small>15–50</small>}}
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The [[HIV/AIDS in Namibia|HIV epidemic]] remains a public health issue in Namibia despite significant achievements made by the [[Ministry of Health and Social Services (Namibia)|Ministry of Health and Social Services]] to expand HIV treatment services.<ref>{{cite conference|title=Together We Are Ending AIDS in Namibia|url=http://www.namaidscon.net/media/downloads/downloads/speeches/aids_conference_rapporteur.pdf|conference=Namibia AIDS Conference 2016: 28 to 30 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116155355/http://www.namaidscon.net/media/downloads/downloads/speeches/aids_conference_rapporteur.pdf|archive-date=16 January 2017|access-date=15 January 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2001, there were an estimated 210,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, and the estimated death toll in 2003 was 16,000. According to the 2011 UNAIDS Report, the epidemic in Namibia "appears to be leveling off."<ref>{{cite web|title=UNAIDS World AIDS Day Report 2011|url=http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/unaidspublication/2011/JC2216_WorldAIDSday_report_2011_en.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824062831/http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/unaidspublication/2011/JC2216_WorldAIDSday_report_2011_en.pdf|archive-date=24 August 2014|access-date=26 August 2017|publisher=UNAIDS}}</ref> As the HIV/AIDS epidemic has reduced the working-aged population, the number of orphans has increased. It falls to the government to provide education, food, shelter and clothing for these orphans.<ref>{{cite web|title=Aidsinafrica.net|url=http://www.aidsinafrica.net/|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919200353/http://aidsinafrica.net/|archive-date=19 September 2017|access-date=26 August 2017|publisher=Aidsinafrica.net}}</ref> A Demographic and Health Survey with an HIV biomarker was completed in 2013 and served as the fourth comprehensive, national-level population and health survey conducted in Namibia as part of the global Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) programme. The DHS observed important characteristics associated to the HIV epidemic:<ref name=":3" />{{rp|169, 203, 218}}
* Overall, 26 percent of men age 15–49 and 32 percent of those age 50–64 have been circumcised.&nbsp;HIV prevalence for men age 15–49 is lower among circumcised (8.0 percent) than among uncircumcised men (11.9 percent). The pattern of lower HIV prevalence among circumcised than uncircumcised men is observed across most background characteristics. For each age group, circumcised men have lower HIV prevalence than those who are not circumcised; the difference is especially pronounced for men age 35–39 and 45–49 (11.7 percentage points each). The difference in HIV prevalence between uncircumcised and circumcised men is larger among urban than rural men (5.2 percentage points versus 2.1 percentage points).
* HIV prevalence among respondents age 15–49 is 16.9 percent for women and 10.9 percent for men. HIV prevalence rates among women and men age 50–64 are similar (16.7 percent and 16.0 percent, respectively).
* HIV prevalence peaks in the 35–39 age group for both women and men (30.9 percent and 22.6 percent, respectively). It is lowest among respondents age 15–24 (2.5–6.4 percent for women and 2.0–3.4 percent for men).
* Among respondents age 15–49, HIV prevalence is highest for women and men in Zambezi (30.9 percent and 15.9 percent, respectively) and lowest for women in Omaheke (6.9 percent) and men in Ohangwena (6.6 percent).
* In 76.4 percent of the 1,007 cohabiting couples who were tested for HIV in the 2013 NDHS, both partners were HIV negative; in 10.1 percent of the couples, both partners were HIV positive; and 13.5 percent of the couples were discordant (that is, one partner was infected with HIV and the other was not).
As of 2015, the Ministry of Health and Social Services and UNAIDS produced a [http://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/country/documents/NAM_narrative_report_2015.pdf Progress Report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119002530/https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/country/documents/NAM_narrative_report_2015.pdf |date=19 January 2022 }} in which [[UNAIDS]] projected HIV prevalence among 15–49-year-olds at 13.3% [12.2–14.5%] and an estimated 210,000 [200,000–230,000] living with HIV.<ref>{{Cite web|title=HIV and AIDS estimates (2015)|url=http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/namibia|access-date=26 August 2017|website=Unaids.org|archive-date=13 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813083141/http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/namibia|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[malaria]] problem seems to be compounded by the AIDS epidemic. Research has shown that in Namibia the risk of contracting malaria is 14.5% greater if a person is also infected with HIV. The risk of death from malaria is also raised by approximately 50% with a concurrent HIV infection.<ref name="Korenromp" /> The country had only 598 physicians in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|title=WHO Country Offices in the WHO African Region|url=http://www.afro.who.int/home/countries/fact_sheets/namibia.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107105806/http://www.afro.who.int/home/countries/fact_sheets/namibia.pdf|archive-date=7 January 2010|access-date=26 June 2010|publisher=World Health Organization}}</ref>