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Ethiopian Population to Reach 79 million in Seven Years
The Ethiopian National Office of Population has announced that the country's population will reach 79 million within seven years, a 14 million increase from the current population.
The population growth rate is the highest compared with those of most developing countries, said Genet Mengistu, representative of the office.
However, the country's annual population growth rate has already dropped to 2.7 percent from 3.2 percent in the past 10 years, with only 15 million people added, Mengistu was quoted by the Ethiopian News Agency as saying on Tuesday.
Earlier, the United Nations Fund for Population allocated 13.7 million US dollars to Ethiopia to improve the reproductive health and family planning services in the country.
A survey conducted last year showed that the total fertility rate (TFR) in Ethiopia was 5.9 children per woman. The TFR refers to the total number of children a woman would have at the end of her reproductive period.
Due to the influence of traditional concept, abortion is still illegal in Ethiopia unless the pregnant woman has special reasons concerning health or in the case of rape.
Western media has predicted that the Ethiopian population could be at 129 million in 2030.
Ethiopia, which has a population of 65 million, is the third most populous country in Africa following Nigeria and Egypt.
More Than 400,000 Epileptic Ethiopians Live with Poor MedicationMore than 400,000 epileptic Ethiopians are living with poor medication, and improving health care services, treatment and social acceptance of epilepsy should become main issue on the government agenda, local media reported Tuesday.
Girum Hailu, managing director of Future International Consulting, was quoted as saying that raising public and professional awareness and dispelling myths about epilepsy have become the key elements, especially in developing countries like Ethiopia where people with epilepsy are associated with evil spirits.
Girum, also the organizer of Sunday's national campaign under the theme "Bringing Epilepsy Out of the Shadows in Ethiopia", said that the program is aimed at improving health care services, treatment and social acceptance of epilepsy as a serious issue at the grassroots level.
Zenebe Gedlie, chief executive officer of Epilepsy Support Association of Ethiopia said that misconceptions and stigma prevent up to 97 percent of Ethiopians suffering from epilepsy from being treated.
He noted that an estimated 75 to 80 percent of patients with epilepsy can live normal lives if properly treated, adding that more than 40 million people worldwide suffer from different types of epilepsy and 85 percent of them live in developing countries.
A one-day workshop under the theme "Management of Epilepsy at a Primary Health Care Level" is scheduled to be held on March 22 in the capital, the report added.
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