Reportages: Central African Republic

Five-year-old Jonathan was found on a rusting steel bed in a health post in Mbiti village, a forgotten corner of a forgotten country. He'd been sick for nearly two weeks; the initial rumblings of fever had mushroomed into malaria and an acute respiratory infection. Jonathan was referred to a clinic 40km away - the nearest place where he could be treated by a qualified nurse. He lost his life the next morning. Nearly 20% of all children under five will die in CAR. Merlin, the British medical aid agency, estimates the country needs at least six times as many qualified health workers as it currently has.