Corneas in the Congo: Case Study

With the nonexistence of basic hygiene, such as adequate drinking water, unsatisfactory toilet and shower facilities, there have been many reported deaths due to the spreading of diseases and infections. There are also high rates of STI’s and HIV transmission reported in the camps due to the lack of security, as rape of women is common, and the insufficient access to health services (Unite for Sight, 2015).

In Tracy Kidder’s book, Strength In What Remains, a refugee named Deogratias Niyizonkiza flees from the mass murders present in his home country, Burundi, and its neighboring country, Rwanda. When he was young, Deo witnessed the death of his friend, Clovis, from a treatable disease commonly known as Malaria. Ever since the tragic event, Deo wanted to improve his country’s healthcare system by building health clinics. Prior to accomplishing his goal, a civil war erupted, killing an estimated eight hundred thousand innocent civilians during a four-month period in 1994. Hardships like these interrupted his medical career even before he was able to leave Burundi. During the civil war, he was forced to survive in the corpse-filled forest, living

Both of these resettlements spiked disease morbidity and mortality rates to epidemic proportions. “The inhabitants of the Belgian Congo before 1880 were estimated to number about 40 million; by 1910 the figure had dropped to 15.5 million, and was 9.25 million in 1933” (Ransford 76).

The migration of a population displaced by a natural disaster such as the occurrence of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that hit the people of Haiti did introduce mortality rates due to unhealthy and unsanitary conditions the refugees lived under in camps. The overcrowded living conditions facilitated a quadrupled spread and transmission of infectious disease such as cholera bacteria inflicting diarrhea. These infections are easily spread through contaminated water. Emotional stress which has a great impact on the physical as well as the mental health of the population quickly degraded the body immune system. Inadequate quantities and qualities of water to sustain health and personal hygiene, poor environmental sanitation and insufficient shelter are all factors that made cholera more potent. An infectious disease like cholera thrives best in a malnutrition host with no access to health care. However, it would be appropriate to educate the people about the bacteria involved hence the need to highlight on the origin (primary) of the bacteria causing cholera. The secondary transmission route would also be enumerated and the impact they both have on the people. The ways in which the spread of the infection could be reduced would further be elaborated.

I have had the humbling experience to travel back to my ancestral community in occupied Palestine, and during each trip, I saw firsthand, how the culture managed to survive, and even thrive, despite limited resources and immobilization. The occupation has resulted in a limited water supply to many Palestinian villages; I can recall countless times where I was unable to shower and do laundry, since the use of water was prioritized for cooking over sanitation and hygiene. The lack of water resources in Palestine was my first formal encounter with a public health issue, in which there was a significant prevention of people from attending to their hygiene and properly sanitizing food and surfaces from microorganisms. In addition to the lack of water resources, the strict restrictions on imports have resulted in a further public health issue regarding many members of the village not having access to medicinal resources or dietary specific foods. This experience abroad has encouraged me to pursue a career in public health, in hopes of returning to Palestine with the appropriate resources and knowledge to: educate the community on water sustainability for their agricultural lifestyle, find a solution for the lack of medical resources, and propose proper dietary plans based on the food availability in my ancestral village.

These inequities can be prevented if the refugees were more inclined and able to go to hospitals and health care services. Many refugees are entering undocumented and illegally. The fear of being caught and deported or separated from their families will lead them to prevent going to any government officials or health care services (Daynes 438). The fear will leave the refugees to feel and to be more vulnerable because they aren’t receiving the care they may need. Many of the efforts that have been made to provide aid have been more focused on the civil society and small teams of volunteers because some countries governments have restricted the entitlements of undocumented migrants (Roberts et al. 2). As a humanitarian effort in aiding in the

According to a report published by John Hopkins University the major cause of deaths in emergency and post-conflict situations are those caused by outbreaks of disease. These outbreaks are reported to raise baseline death rates "sixty times." ( ) The primary killers in complex emergencies over the past ten years are reported as "malaria, diarrhoeal diseases, and pneumonia with TB and HIV/AIDS gaining increasing attention more recently." ( ) It is additionally reported that more than 40% of deaths during the acute emergency stage in camp situations result from diarrhoeal diseases and that 80% of these are among children less than two years of age.

Refugee residents have health needs that differ from native-born residents in Multnomah County. Often these health needs are identified during the mandatory health screening that is required as part of the resettlement process. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) provides a protocol for these screenings. According to Dr. Paul Leung, Director of the Intercultural Psychiatric Program at the Oregon Health Sciences University, refugees experience higher rates of anxiety, stress, depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, substance abuse, and thoughts of suicide compared to the general public. Moreover, according to the MCHD, more than one third of refugees identify having been near death prior to resettlement. One in three has lost a family member or friend and nearly 70% have lived through combat and/or torture. Furthermore, according to the Office of Refugee Resettlement and the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, refugees experience a wide range of health issues including infectious diseases like tuberculosis and intestinal parasites, malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, other STD’s, diabetes, hypertension, and maternal and child concerns. The Multnomah County Health Department Report Card on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (2011) includes refugees of

Not only has the IRC stepped in to help these refugees but also UNHCR has partnered with the governments of Tanzania to help Burundi. From 1993 to 2000, Tanzania has been host to almost 1.5 million refugees (Thomas 2009). The fact that there are so many refugees in Tanzania can have many economical effects. The goods and infrastructure will have to be shared between the citizens and the refugees that flee there. Although Tanzania camps are already getting full with so many refugees, the IRC are helping by identifying unaccompanied children and providing them with care and counseling to those who have survived sexual violence (Tanzania 2015). There are also allowing these refugee people to stay in mass shelters, churches, and

Being granted unlimited resource is an opportunity that few, if any have had. Alongside being given this amazing opportunity, the person carries the burden of choosing between several dilemmas that affect the Earth and its inhabitants. People living in economic disenfranchisement and war-torn countries are affected at a higher rate than those that suffer from the same affliction in developed nations. Many third and second world countries often lack the necessary access to hygienic medical supplies and treatment. The environment that a country’s residents dwell in, especially children, should help them grow and thrive. Too often in these countries, the political, social, and economic environment create crises in which children are fighting illnesses

-According to the UNHCR, the people most in need of assistance are the ones forced to leave their homes due to political conflict. These people have little or nothing, lack of access to clean water, sanitation, and medical care. The UNHCR sends emergency assistance to these refugees,

Senegal, a culture filled country, suffers greatly from poverty, meaning that many families may not be able to afford or have ways of getting knowledge of health care that could potentially save their lives. The red cross is one of the many organizations that provide assistance throughout Senegal, however, not everyone knows or has accesses to the Red Cross. Communication varies throughout Senegal bringing with it several life threatening things happening in Senegal including, street children, diseases, and cultural activities that is extremely dangerous for Senegalese citizens. Further acts should be put into place to provide all Senegalese people with information and ways of health care.

The American Refugee Committee (ARC) is an international organization dedicated to fighting against the trend of child mortality around the world. ARC has brought more than 35 successful years of expertise in services like sanitation, health care, shelter, education and protection for women, girls and their families, which are very critical to the refugee communities. With the refugees and host communities, we currently work in 11 countries around the world. Having replied to crisis’s from Haiti all the way to East Timor.We create resolutions to enduring humanitarian conflicts.

Humanitarian emergencies affect millions of people annually and they can be in the form of either conflicts or disasters. Since 1990, natural disasters have affected more than 217 million people annually and about 300 million people live in the midst of violence and unsecure environment (Leaning & Guha-Sapir, 2013). In mission cases for countries that are experiencing conflict, refugees and internally displaced individuals typically experience high mortality rate. Typically, the increase in mortality rate is not directly correlated to the conflict but to disease such as cholera and dysentery, measles, acute respiratory infections, and malaria, often

Limitations in both systems have caused the outbreak to be substantial negative outcome on the Haitian population and the reputation of UN as a peacekeeping organization. Historically, soldiers have played a major role in the spread of diseases worldwide, for century war/peacekeeping mission and disease have gone hand in hand (Houston, 2015). With 75% of the population living in poverty, it is not necessary to say that the nation possess the greatest threat for disease outbreak such as cholera which have shown to be a real weakness again and again after they were infected the fever caused by chikungunya pathogen. Extreme poverty, little to no infrastructure, access to clean water, proper sanitation, stable healthcare system, and lack of public