In Egypt the WHO World Health Report (2003) indicates an adult mortality¹⁷ rate per 1000 population of 240 for males and 157 for females.¹⁸ Life expectancy for males is 65.3; for females 69. Healthy life expectancy is 57.8 for males; 60.2 for females.¹⁹

In 2000, there was an estimated 55,003 cancer cases in Egypt and 34,429²⁰ cancer deaths. These figures suggest a considerable palliative care need among patients with cancer - and do not include end of life care for patients with other diseases.

Unlike some African countries, Egypt has a very low prevalence of HIV/AIDS (<0.2%). Estimates suggest that between 5000 and 31,000 people were living with HIV/AIDS at the end of 2003. In the same year, up to 1600 adults and children are thought to have died from the disease (Table 3).

Table 3 Country HIV and AIDS estimates, end 2003

UNAIDS reports:

Data on HIV/AIDS in Egypt, while limited, suggests low prevalence (far less than 1% in the general population). However, current surveillance methods and barriers to HIV testing suggest that a substantial number of cases may go undetected. In addition, many of the behavioural risk factors and social determinants of HIV identified in other regions also exist in Egypt and have been documented in studies. Without a concerted effort to prevent transmission, Egypt is likely to suffer an increase in the incidence of HIV/AIDS .