The earth as a whole is pretty stable; lives on earth remain relatively safe, growing and increasing in population every day. Diseases and sickness comes to play now and then, but, for the most part, affect the poor and undeveloped countries most heavy; developed countries like the U.S.A. have solutions and vaccine for diseases and thus fear of sickness do not arise often. However, when they do, it is can become a pandemic, a massive widespread of hazardous disease that potentially threatens the human population. To prevent epidemics, countries formed the World Health Organization (WHO) to create the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) to help announce an event of an extreme health hazard that spread (or is spreading) internationally and need international coalition to cure or resolve. There are multiple phrases to pandemic before the PHEIC happens. To explore the phases of a pandemic and when a PHEIC occur, I carried out simulation through a game called Pandemic II to evaluate the phases and the reaction of the world and WHO. Before talking about the simulation, there needs to be an understanding of the phases of a pandemic: Interpandemic phase, Alert phases, Pandemic phase, Transition phase. Each phase carries a special role in how the world react to solve a pandemic. The Interpandemic phase is more of a cautionary phase; nothing is happening during this phase and life goes on normally. However, countries should be on the lookout of potential arising
“Without a lifespan view of women’s health… we are unlikely to be successful in advancing women’s health” (Woods 2009, pg. 400). A Global Health Imperative (2009) by author Nancy Fugate Woods explains the issues about health status and opportunities for the health of girl-children world-wide, which includes sex and gender disparities. Girl and women’s health is important, but just not as important as men’s health. Woods gives example of women’s health issues that are extremely serious. “Health issues or problems that occur predominantly in women are breast cancer and menopause” (Woods 2009, pg. 400). Women all over the world have the risk of getting breast cancer, HIV and Aids. Women that are affected by these diseases in some countries may
Infectious epidemics and pandemics have happened all through mankind's history. “They remain the prime cause of death worldwide and will not be conquered during our lifetimes.” The flu of 1918 was one of the deadliest epidemics in history. “It infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide–about one-third of the planet’s population at the time–and killed an estimated 20 million to 50 million victims. More than 25 percent of the U.S. population became sick, and some 675,000 Americans died during the pandemic.” No one knew how the virus spread, there were no antibiotics to fight it, and no flu shots to prevent it. In the final year of World War I, it struck terror in the hearts of people all across Europe and left more death in its wake than the combined military actions of the combatants. “It killed more Americans in a few months than World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the
In a medically savaged developing country when there is a sudden influx of scarce resources, whom of the inflicted and in need shall be the beneficiary? The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care....” (Skolnik, 2016). Poverty stricken countries caught up in a labyrinth of illness are unable to deliver the correct care their inhabitants necessitate. Richard Skolnik in “Global Health 101” identifies four basic ethical principles underlying most scarce resource allocation schemes as: 1) health maximization; 2) equality; 3) priority to the worst off and 4) personal responsibility.
The largest, most charitable foundation in the United States is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation founded by Bill and Melinda Gates themselves is famous for their determination in wanting to reduce the poverty rates, and at the same time to improve overall health in our country (Mathews, 2008). The goal of this foundation not only strives to solve global health challenges, as well as the attract new scientists to the field to help them in their fight. Improving lives around the world and reducing inequities around the world is another important goal to
Q1: Understanding the cases/differences: What was the average number of new HIV cases in Scott County in 2013? What was it in the first six months of 2015? What are the demographics of those diagnosed in 2015? (Describe them)
Pandemics have been recorded throughout history taking the life of virtually anything in its path. A pandemic is defined as a widespread disease crossing international borders with a high death count. The first ever recorded pandemic was The Peloponnesian War Pestilence. The Peloponnesian War Pestilence is dated to be around the years 430 B.C.E. It took place during the Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens, this excessive pestilence killed an estimation of over 30,000 of Athens’s citizens. The most recent pandemic record was the Influenza AH1N1 virus strain in 2009. The H1N1 virus was later globally spread taking 17,000 lives by August 2010 when it was officially declared to be over. Pandemics have been
The aftermath of this outbreak helped the world learn how to respond to deadly illnesses in an effective manor as well as moved the cause of science forward by striving to find a way to treat this disease. The event lead to the organizations responsible for controlling these outbreaks to grow and develop more proficient ways to battle the flu as well as many other sicknesses. Today, “international organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) provide leadership in global health matters. The WHO’s preparedness plans against influenza pandemics include six levels of pandemic alert, which determine the recommended actions it should take in conjunction with the international community, governments, and industry.6” This expansion has saved millions of lives as now flu vaccines are usually available in most communities as well as treatments for nearly every ailment known. Without these organizations influence the Swine Flu epidemic could have been much more devastating along with the hundreds of other disease that could have wiped out entire populations without the intervention of these groups. The government was also changed by this as they had
The book “The Hot Zone” and the movie “Contagion” are both about pandemics, with one a possible pandemic and the other global. They are different because of how the media reacts to the prospect of a pandemic, as well as how they contain or treat the potential outbreak. Both works showed how panic can impact and contribute to the spread of the virus.
After playing The Great Flu Game, I have a whole new perspective on how epidemics can occur. When playing this game, I first selected the Kai Virus which was a lower level difficulty virus. The virus originated in China and spread to the countries closest to China. This virus was relatively easy to stop with the resources given. The first thing that I did was employed early detection warnings to the countries closes to China. This allowed for these countries to detect the virus and start implementing resources to stop it. Furthermore, I distributed facemasks to these countries in order to slow the spread of the virus. One difficulty that I encountered was that some countries were not able to support my decisions due to circumstances within the country. Not all countries have access to the same resources and can implement said decisions. In order to try and end the virus as quickly as possible, I used all of my budget that was allocated for the
When analyzing the global health care crisis, one should pay particular attention of the problem from both the macro and micro scale. Overlooking either side of the issue wastes both valuable time and resources during an era that cannot afford such loss. Some argue that health care is a fight that politicians must win to enact change. Others say the crisis is simply another economic matter that will eventually resolve itself under the theories of supply and demand. When we look at these explanations without seriously considering the issues that arise in the microcosm, we expose ourselves to moral hazard. In Banker to the Poor (1), Nobelaureate Muhammad Yunus describes how a great deal of change can result from looking at the problem from a
The records and prediction of the world health organization for the number of people that would be infected by the pandemic in the near future.
Health is a complex concept, and global health adds to this complexity. When I think of health as a concept, I view it as being absent of disease. This understanding is a very biomedical approach to health and is a very narrow viewpoint of health. According to the World Health Organization (1948), health is defined as a “state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (a cited by Jacobsen p. 2). This definition does give a better understanding of what health is from a broader perspective. At the University of Victoria’s Global Health class, I have become to understand better the WHO’s definition and that it is linked to the social determinants of health. In this paper, I will reflect and analyze the learning that occurred for myself while taking the Global Health class, and how this knowledge has helped my nursing practice evolve at the local and international level.
"The failure to engage in the fight to anticipate, prevent, and ameliorate global health problems would diminish America's stature in the realm of health and jeopardize our own health, economy, and national security, " stated by The Institute of Medicine. Global health refers to health phenomenon that transcends across national borders. For instance, global health would address predicaments such as: infectious and insect-borne diseases that can spread from one country to another. Thus, global health should be addressed by collaborative actions and solutions. On the other hand, countries tend to focus on other essential issues that are occurring in the present day and therefore, overlook the global health issue. Some issues that countries
Public health is a dynamic field of medicine that is concerned primarily with improving the health of populations rather than just the health of individuals. Winslow (1920) defined public health as;
The world has experienced a total of four pandemics within the twentieth century. These pandemics, as horrific and deadly as they are, have brought so much more positive advances to our health care system and how we prepare for biological threats. Although we are in the twenty-first century and we have advanced so far in healthcare, there is still the possibility of a deadly pandemic.