Spreading Disease In Developing Countries

Health has been influenced by many factors such as poor health status, disease risk factors, and limited access to healthcare. All these factors are due to social, economic and environmental disadvantages. According to the World Organization (WHO) (2015), “the social determinants of health are mostly responsible for health inequities, which is the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries”

Illnesses, epidemics, and pandemics derive from the living conditions and the social stratification of a society. Poverty tends to increase an individual’s possibility of getting sick due to deficient housing conditions, malnutrition, pressure, etc. Research supports that impoverished individuals experience higher death rates due to the insufficient medical care and nutritious food available to them. “An estimated 25 million Americans do not have enough money to feed themselves adequately and, as a result, suffer from serious nutritional deficiencies that can lead to illness and death” (Tischler 383). In effect, this contributes to the overall high mortality rates among groups of social classes. Those that live in poverty experience high levels

People do not always die from starvation in a famine but they die from a weakened immune system. Researchers from the British Journal of Medicine find world food program who “argue that health issues cannot be separated from the food insecurity” which has been occurring since the 1990s (Zarocostas, 2010). For example, Barbara Demick outlines that chronic malnutrition causes an increase of susceptibility to diseases such as typhoid and tuberculosis. A notable statistic is the country’s “estimated tuberculosis incidence of 345/100,000 population is higher than in some countries with generalized HIV/AIDS epidemics” (Seung, 2013) . Also a result of malnutrition, the body is no longer able to metabolize antibiotics and malnutrition can cause strokes or heart attacks (Demick, 2009). The death rate then increases because these diseases are health issues which cannot be resolved with the lack of healthcare and

Health and social justice have continued to be a major problem that affects the way people live and chance of illness, and consequent risk of premature death. The recent report from the World Health Organization shows that health disparities have continued to persist within and among countries and different regions of the world. For example, infectious diseases and undernutrition are common in poor and developing countries (WHO, 2018). The gap is even much worse between the rural and urban dwellers because of the economic differences and availability of healthcare services. Although some of the developed nations have attempted

Poverty and poor health worldwide are inseparably related. Poor health is a direct effect of growing up in poverty; as children living in low economic families may not have access to adequate medical health coverage. Which means the child will not have proper immunization and checkup that they need to ensure good health. Studies show when a child grows up in poverty the child can be underweight (Boyden). Poor under lined illness may also lead to issues throughout a lifespan. Poverty increases neglect of health issues. That causes more health problems which ends in death. Statistics also show that living in poor rule areas, with low quality schools. Even if the parents are highly educated and employed, the employment

without the funds necessary to supply medical help, disease in Africa is exponential , much

The residents of Africa are suffering from preventable, treatable, and fatal diseases everyday at a higher rate compared to developed countries. The healthcare crisis in Africa is the primary cause of all these deaths, and includes inefficient healthcare systems. Consequently, African's inefficient healthcare systems results in poor delivery of care and a shortage of health professionals. The healthcare crisis in Africa is a current issue impacting the lives of many African's who don't have the same access to resources as developed countries such as the United States. These resources can save the lives of many African's dying of preventable and curable disease, and understanding why the African continent has little access to them

Two out of every five people living in Sub-Saharan Africa lack safe water. A baby there is 500 times more likely to die from water-related illness than one from the United States. This is a serious ongoing issue that requires the rest of the world to take action. Water spreads diseases easily if the necessary precautions are not taken. Many developing African countries don’t have sewage treatment, or the people don’t have methods to filter and disinfect. Once a person is sick either there is no way to cure them, or medical care is too expensive, so they are left untreated with a high risk of death. Although many believe that the fight for sanitary water in Africa is insurmountable, people in these developing countries can overcome their challenge to access clean water and avoid water-borne diseases through proper sewage treatment facilities, universal water filtration and medical care.

The fifth program of the video series “Rx for Survival,” was titled “Back to the Basics”. It primarily concerned itself with public health issues stemming from a lack of very fundamental necessities in some underdeveloped countries, such as elementary food nutrients and clean potable water; then contrasted this with health problems resulting from overindulging in the plentiful fare many developed countries possess (Rx for Survival, 2005). After viewing the video, it became apparent there were a large number of aspects important to epidemiology that could be addressed from the presented material. A few of these will be elaborated upon here.

Thus, finding methods of educating people, and providing medical aid for these preventable diseases can avoid many deaths. Second reason for attending global health issue is for balancing resources. According to The Lancet Journal, ninety percent of the world’s health care resources are spent on diseases that affect only ten percent of the world’s population. (Norris, 2009) Therefore, ensuring that resources are evenly distributed throughout the world would assist to limit the diseases from spreading from country to country. Third, global health can influence Canadians indirectly such as, the increase of diseases. Some of these diseases becoming more prevalent is HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB and are increasing poverty and political instability within countries. (Worldwide HIV & AIDS Statistics, 2009) Thus, global health should be a concern because it can help prevent civil conflict in other countries. (Worldwide HIV & AIDS Statistics, 2009) Fourth, global health should be a concern across all nations as there is more contact amongst people because of globalization diseases occurs at a faster rate. Globalization is defined as a modern phenomenon process by which countries and peoples are increasingly interconnected, integrated, and interdependent that occurred over centuries. (Andrews, 2010) Since the world is increasingly becoming interconnected, diseases can travel from nation to nation and it can cause

Africa, and what they can learn from other countries to try to control the rapid spread of

Seventeen distinct diseases run rampant through developing countries, known as the neglected tropical diseases. They infect an average of 2.7 billion people world wide, but mainly infect those living in poverty stricken countries. These diseases can lead to life-long disabilities, disfigurement, and promote poverty. Most of the infected countries live on an average of two U.S. dollars a day with no access to healthcare, making some of the relatively cheap drug therapies unattainable. Even though the neglected tropical diseases infect over two billion people and cause an average of five-hundred thousand deaths a year respectively, research and awareness for these diseases are virtually nonexistent. Since these diseases are not found in first world countries with adequate health care, research and funding is not seen as a priority.

The country of India is second in terms of population size and the major cities are becoming overcrowded. Poverty rates in India have increased over the last few years and despite the economic boom the country is experiencing, the people are still living in overcrowded ghettos or slums. Overcrowding and population has brought healthcare challenges. In India, maternal and child mortality are still high, malnutrition among children and pregnant women increase yearly, and the country leads the numbers of Tuberculosis (TB) infection. Furthermore, India’s HIV problem has increased and now is third among 195 countries. The lack of basic healthcare, support and supplies from Indian official has only fueled the healthcare challenges it faces.

Medical knowledge is less than adequate in these societies, leading to much illness and a very high death rate. The infant mortality rate is overwhelmingly high, which is a reason for the high birth rates. Many infants do not make it through their first year of life before they get deathly ill - most of them do eventually die from their illness. The medical technology of modern society is so expensive to third world countries, making it extremely difficult for their society to stay healthy. Life expectancy is about 40-45 years in traditional societies.

As population increases, the need to expand becomes more evident. The huge consumption and need for more food, land, water, and energy have