LOOKING AT HEALTH CARE
A very small percentage of Hondurans have access to medical services. Many Hondurans cannot afford doctors, drugs or transportation to health care facilities, which may be located far from where they live. Wealthy Hondurans can obtain private treatment, and some receive publicly subsidized health care through social security. Most of the doctors and hospitals in Honduras are located in the cities. Tegucigalpa, the capital, has the best facilities for medical treatment.

Small towns may have a traditional healer who prescribes herbal treatments. Massage and purging are other traditional healing techniques. Some Hondurans use folk remedies such as tying a cloth filled with sliced raw tomatoes around the neck to treat mumps, placing mashed eggs on plantain leaves on the stomach to relieve an upset, and drinking herbal tea to get rid of parasites.
Safe drinking water is not always available, so illnesses that arise from contaminated drinking water are fairly widespread. Many homes do not have sewer systems. This contributes to the risk of contamination and disease. Diarrhea caused by contaminated drinking water is common and can be fatal, especially among young children.

The country's poverty and lack of proper health care affect most Hondurans. Many children suffer from malnutrition. The problem is so serious that, in some hospitals, only cases of severe malnutrition are accepted, because there are not enough facilities to treat all sufferers. Diseases such as gastroenteritis, tuberculosis, influenza, typhoid and pneumonia are common, as are drug addiction and alcoholism. HIV is becoming more prevalent and diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, both carried by mosquitoes, are not unusual.
   Did you know?
Some Hondurans believe that foods and herbs are either "hot" or "cold." When someone is ill, "hot" or "cold" foods or herbs may be prescribed, depending on the illness. Some of the "hot" foods are coffee, oranges and beef. "Cold" foods include coconuts, bananas, salt and seafood.
Many Hondurans do not relate their poor health to the actual causes. Their experiences of constant tiredness, stunted growth and infectious diseases are so common and have been part of life for so many generations that they believe that such things are normal. Some Hondurans have never seen or experienced healthy living conditions, so they do not understand what it feels like to be well-nourished and comfortable.

Nearly one-half of Hondurans are under 15, and more than one-quarter are between the ages of 15 and 29. This leaves just over one-quarter of Hondurans in the 30-and-older age group.