Geographical Locations - Guinea-Bissau

• (Statistical) Number of Inhabitants per Doctor: 3,263
• CIA World Factbook : Guinea-Bissau

Organisations and Networks

UN and Multinational

• WHO
  - WHO Country Profile - Guinea Bissau
  - WHO - Tobacco Control: Country Profile: Guinea Bissau
  - WHO - Environmental Burden of Disease: Country Profile – Guinea-Bissau
  - WHO - Malaria Country Profile - Guinea-Bissau
• UNAIDS Guinea Bissau
• UNICEF At a Glance Guinea Bissau
• PNUD en Guinee-Bissau

Government

• CIA Chiefs of States and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments, Guinea-Bissau

Non-Government

• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Where We Work - Guinea-Bissau
• Medicins Sans Frontieres in Guinea-Bissau

Academic Institutions

National Policy and Related Documents

Reports, Guidelines, and Projects

• Global Fund, Portfolio of Grants in Guinea Bissau
  The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was created to dramatically increase resources to fight three of the world's most devastating diseases, and to direct those resources to areas of greatest need. The Global Fund serves as a partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities.
• Malnourished children and supplementary feeding during the war emergency in Guinea-Bissau in 1998–1999
  Background: Supplementary feeding programs (SFPs) are intended to mitigate the deterioration of nutritional status and the increase in mortality among malnourished children. Objective: We investigated the effect of an SFP on malnourished children in Guinea-Bissau who were returning to their homes after having been displaced within the country because of war in 1998– 1999. Design: The effect of the war on the nutritional status of children aged 6–59 mo who were present in Bissau sometime from September 1998 to June 1999 was evaluated by comparing the mortality and the prevalence of malnutrition with the values expected had the war not occurred and by comparing the severity of malnutrition in malnourished children before and during the war. The quality of the SFP was also evaluated. Children with midupper arm circumference <130 mm were provided weekly medical consultations and supplementary feeding until recovery. Results: The degree of malnutrition did not increase during the war. The prevalence of malnutrition increased with the start of the war but then decreased. The mortality of malnourished children did not increase during the war. Seventy-four percent of the referred children received treatment; of those, 1% died, 67% recovered, and 32% abandoned treatment. Compliance was 89%. The recovery rate was 13.1 · 1000^_-1 · d^_-1, and the median time to recovery was 48 d. Better compliance was associated with shorter time to recovery. Conclusions: Our findings may be biased by changes in the cultural and socioeconomic background of the malnourished children. However, 3 different analyses indicated a beneficial effect of the SFP. Thus, the home-based SFP probably prevented nutritional deterioration during the war in Guinea-Bissau. [Am J Clin Nutr 2004; 80:1036–42] [author abstract]
• Protect your life (Protege Bu Bida) – Guinea-Bissau
  MdM-P (Medicos do Mundo – Portugal) has been working in Guinea-Bissau since 2005, with the Children's rights in Guinea-Bissau Project, which came about in partnership with INDE (Cooperative Development Organisation). In this project, MdM-P was responsible for the support and health education, in particular with regards to preventing HIV/AIDS. During the following years, it has addressed its activity to the emergency support to the victims of the cholera epidemic, adding to its priorities the question of water, sanitation and hygiene. [publication abstract]
• Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in a West African population of tuberculosis patients and unmatched healthy controls
  Background: Little is known regarding vitamin D deficiency (VDD) in African populations and in tuberculosis (TB) patients. VDD has been shown to be associated with TB. Objective: We aimed to compare the degree of vitamin D insufficiency (VDI) and VDD in TB patients and healthy adult controls in a West African population. Design: An unmatched case-control study was performed at a Demographic Surveillance Site in Guinea-Bissau. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ [25(OH)D₃] concentrations were measured in 362 TB patients and in 494 controls. Results: Hypovitaminosis D [25(OH)D₃ 75 nmol/L] was more common in TB patients, but VDD [25(OH)D₃ 50 nmol/L] was more common and more severe in controls. We observed hypovitaminosis D in 46% (167/362) of the TB patients and in 39% (193/494) of the controls; the relative risk (RR) of hypovitaminosis D was 1.18 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.38). VDD was observed in 8.5% (31/362) of the TB patients and in 13.2% (65/494) of the controls. The RR was 0.65 (95% CI: 0.43, 0.98), mainly because severe VDD [25(OH)D₃ 25 nmol/L] was observed in only 1 of 362 TB patients (0.2%) and in 24 of 494 controls (4.9%). After adjustment for background factors, hypovitaminosis D was not more frequent in TB patients than in healthy controls, but the mean serum 25(OH)D₃ concentration remained lower. Conclusions: Hypovitaminosis D was highly prevalent in TB patients and in healthy controls living at 12 °N; severe VDD was rare in TB patients. The finding indicates that the serum 25(OH)D₃ concentration is associated with TB infection, but whether this role is a symptom or is causal was not established. [Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2007; 86(5): 1376–83] [author abstract]
• UNAIDS Epidemiological Fact Sheets on HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections
• US Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2004 Guinea Bissau

Educational Resources

• CDC Traveler's Health West Africa
• Earth Trends - Population Health and Well Being Guinea Bissau
• IRIN News Latest News from Guinea-Bissau
• NEWS Guinea-Bissau
  This site provides the lates news from Guinea-Bissau and includes information about the economy, culture, society and political situation in the country. Site is in Portuguese.