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The Health Status Of Rural Populations Essay

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Historically, health care professionals believed rural populations had a health advantage. They frequently sent tuberculosis patients and others into the country for fresh air and a change of scenery (Lourenço 2012). However, as the scientific understanding of disease expanded and urban population and political power grew, these advantages diminished. Today, staggering disparities exist across the globe in the health status of rural populations compared to their urban counterparts, both between and within every country, making this a truly global issue. As is the case with many other global health issues, developing countries experience these inequalities with greater severity due to a lack of infrastructure and resources, especially when considering maternal and infant health. For example, in Burundi, as of 2014, the urban infant mortality rate was 49 deaths per 1000 live births, while the rural infant mortality rate was 81. In 2014, Laos had an urban infant mortality rate of 39 but a rural infant mortality rate of 85. Finally, in Bolivia in 2014, the urban infant mortality rate was 43 while the rural mortality rate was 75 (Population Reference Bureau 2014). These data demonstrate the dramatic inequity between urban and rural areas and indicate disparate access to health care for women and children. Action must be taken to alleviate these disparities in developing countries with regards to maternal and infant health. The global health community must first collaborate to

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