Even if the economics of U.S.-African relations don't raise the attention level of the American public, other factors should. Recently, East Coast states as far north as New York and as far south as North Carolina were forced to combat a possible outbreak of West Nile Fever. Virulent diseases such as Ebola are only a plane ride away from America, and given the mobility of Americans and our millions of foreign visitors each year, such a plague could infect and kill hundreds before we even know it has arrived. AIDS, which currently is ravaging the African continent, already has proven to be a scourge throughout America. Inadequate African health care systems, therefore, no longer pose a threat only to African patients.
Environmental degradation threatens African nations.
The continent has the world's largest expanse of drylands, which grow larger each year due to poor agricultural techniques and the spread of deserts. Africa has the world's highest percentage of people without adequate access to potable water. An estimated 50 meters of African coastline are lost each year to erosion by the Atlantic Ocean. Both natural and man-made developments in Africa may lead to further erosion of forests, which will reduce the production of oxygen for the entire planet and eliminate species of plants and animals as sources of medicines, food, chemicals and other vital elements of importance worldwide. Enhanced monitoring of natural disasters in Africa is of mutual benefit to both America and Africa.