There is no specific definition of the term environment. Environment is the state of human health and safety, conditions of human life, the food chain, cultural sites and built structures, which are, or are likely to be, affected by the state of the elements of the environment and the interaction between them. Other people define environment as everything that makes up our surroundings and affects our ability to live on the earth including the air we breathe, the water that covers most of the earth's surface, the plants and animals around us, and much more. In recent years, scientists have been carefully examining the ways that people affect the environment. They have found that we are causing air pollution, deforestation, acid rain, and other problems that are dangerous both to the earth and to ourselves. These days, when you hear people talk about “the environment”, they are often referring to the overall condition of our planet, or how healthy it is, sometimes how bad is it? Millennium Development Goal seven is addressing the issues concerning environment which state, ‘Ensure Environmental Sustainability’. Melnick et al. (2005a) explained environmental sustainability as the situation of meeting current human needs without undermining the capacity of the environment to provide for those needs over the long term. The MDG seven consider the satisfaction of present generation as well as for the future generation.
Health and environment are good friends. If the environment is well kept, organized and clean no people will suffer from diseases like diarrhoea or any water borne diseases. If it is the opposite is when you will hear people suffering from diarrhoea, cholera and many others. However, environment is the key determinant of human health. Poor waste disposal in urban areas is a great cause of diseases. Take the City of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania as a case study. Cities have multiplied and expanded rapidly worldwide over the past two centuries (McMichael, 2000). Dar es Salaam is one of the cities expanding at tremendous speed. Thus, many cities are sources of creativity and technology, and they are the engines for economic growth. Cities are also sources of poverty, inequality, and health hazards from the environment (McMichael, 2000). The city of Dar es Salaam with an area of 1,393 square kilometres has a more than 4 million people (URT, 2003). Many people in this city are living in slums where it is difficult to collect waste and even to empty or drain their toilets. What is done during rain seasons, people just empty or open their latrines and allow waste to go with water to the down streams. It is during rain time when your hear outbreak of disease like Cholera and Diarrhoeal, and many others. Urban populations have long been incubators and gateways for infectious diseases. In the city, every year people are dying because of diarrhoeal disease and respiratory infections. All these diseases are due to urban poverty and poor adaptation to various vector-borne infections to urbanization. If the environment is kept clean, and people are following the procedures of cleaning their environment, it is hard to hear people dying because of diseases caused by dirty environment.
We must develop policies that ameliorate the existing environmental problems and educate people on how to get rid of water borne diseases. Government should also be strict in collecting waste in time.
References:
Melnick, D., Kakabadse-Navarro, Y., McNeely, J., Schmidt-Traub, G. & Sears, R. 2005b.The MIllenium Project: the positive health implications of improved environmental sustainability. (pdf) The Lancet, Vol. 365, 723-725.
McMichael, A. J. 2000. Urban Environment and Health in a World of Increasing Globalization: Issues for Developing Countries. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. Keppele Street, London.
URT, 2003. National Bureau of Statistics. Tanzania
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Infectious Diseases
With 2015 only a decade away, the poorest countries face enormous hurdles to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for health, let alone the broader goal of health for all their citizens (Ruxin et al, 2005:618). This is very interesting inthe sence that we are focusing on Millenium Development Goal 6 which state, 'Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases'. Severity of disease is much connencted to poverty and lack of proper education.
Summarize how to prevent malaria
Malaria is a preventable and curable disease. Malaria causes over 1 million deaths, most in children younger than 5 years and 300 to 500 million episode of acute illness each year (Ruxin et al., 2005). This disease affects more than 50% of the words population and hits tropical Africa hardest. Malaria can be prevented through different ways such as
Use of insecticide-treated bed-nets
Indoor residual spraying
Intermittent presumptive treatment during pregnancy
Early diagnosis and prompt treatment with effective anti-malarias;
Management of the environment to control mosquitoes;
Health education; and
Epidemic forecasting, prevention and response.
Prevention of other infectious diseases such as Tuberculosis and HIV/Aids effectively at the global level. Tuberculosis affects poor and vulnerable populations hardest and has worsened in recent years. Tuberculosis is a leading killer of people with HIV, and up to 80% of tuberculosis patients are HIV positive in countries with high prevalence of HIV. The spread of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis highlights the global threat of poor tuberculosis control and of the failure to treat all patients properly. Tuberculosis can be prevented by educating people the causes of tuberculosis and how to control it once someone gets it and how not to spread it to others. Other method is to ensure access to high quality tuberculosis drugs or medicines for affected people. Campaigns, seminars, TV programmes, Radio programmes, magazines, posters, to mention some, can help to sensitize people on TB.
HIV/AIDS. Currently there is no vaccine for HIV/AIDS. Different ways can help to prevent people from getting this disease. Proper condoms use all the time some one having sex. Behaviour change campaign in communities, schools, workplaces, and the mass media; Harm reduction measures to limit spread in injecting drug user,
Entiretroviral protocols to reduce mother-to-child transmission; And entiretroviral therapy to reduce morbidity and prolong the lives of those who already have the virus. Above all if possible stay without doing sex, if not possible be faithful to one partner.
Summary of my thoughts
This week topic is addressing Millennium Development Goal 6 which is Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases. I found that all the disease mentioned here affect the poor people most compared to the well off group. There are inadequate/deficient supplies of almost all important essential drugs to developing countries. The problem is poverty which obstructs peoples' ability to buy the required drugs. One of the best preventive measures which across all is education, people should first get proper education on how to prevent diseases, then others follows, prevention is better than cure.
Reference:
Ruxin, J., Paluzzi, J., Wilson, P., Tosan, Y., Kruk, M. & Teklehaimanot, A. 2005. Emerging consensus in HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and access to essential medicines. (pdf) The Lancet, Vol. 365 (12), 618-621.
Summarize how to prevent malaria
Malaria is a preventable and curable disease. Malaria causes over 1 million deaths, most in children younger than 5 years and 300 to 500 million episode of acute illness each year (Ruxin et al., 2005). This disease affects more than 50% of the words population and hits tropical Africa hardest. Malaria can be prevented through different ways such as
Use of insecticide-treated bed-nets
Indoor residual spraying
Intermittent presumptive treatment during pregnancy
Early diagnosis and prompt treatment with effective anti-malarias;
Management of the environment to control mosquitoes;
Health education; and
Epidemic forecasting, prevention and response.
Prevention of other infectious diseases such as Tuberculosis and HIV/Aids effectively at the global level. Tuberculosis affects poor and vulnerable populations hardest and has worsened in recent years. Tuberculosis is a leading killer of people with HIV, and up to 80% of tuberculosis patients are HIV positive in countries with high prevalence of HIV. The spread of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis highlights the global threat of poor tuberculosis control and of the failure to treat all patients properly. Tuberculosis can be prevented by educating people the causes of tuberculosis and how to control it once someone gets it and how not to spread it to others. Other method is to ensure access to high quality tuberculosis drugs or medicines for affected people. Campaigns, seminars, TV programmes, Radio programmes, magazines, posters, to mention some, can help to sensitize people on TB.
HIV/AIDS. Currently there is no vaccine for HIV/AIDS. Different ways can help to prevent people from getting this disease. Proper condoms use all the time some one having sex. Behaviour change campaign in communities, schools, workplaces, and the mass media; Harm reduction measures to limit spread in injecting drug user,
Entiretroviral protocols to reduce mother-to-child transmission; And entiretroviral therapy to reduce morbidity and prolong the lives of those who already have the virus. Above all if possible stay without doing sex, if not possible be faithful to one partner.
Summary of my thoughts
This week topic is addressing Millennium Development Goal 6 which is Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases. I found that all the disease mentioned here affect the poor people most compared to the well off group. There are inadequate/deficient supplies of almost all important essential drugs to developing countries. The problem is poverty which obstructs peoples' ability to buy the required drugs. One of the best preventive measures which across all is education, people should first get proper education on how to prevent diseases, then others follows, prevention is better than cure.
Reference:
Ruxin, J., Paluzzi, J., Wilson, P., Tosan, Y., Kruk, M. & Teklehaimanot, A. 2005. Emerging consensus in HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and access to essential medicines. (pdf) The Lancet, Vol. 365 (12), 618-621.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Maternal and Child Health
Main reasons for maternal and child mortality in dveloping countries vary from one country to another. The first reason of maternal and child mortality in developing countries is deseases. Most of these deseases are preventable or treated. Another problem is undernutrition. Wmen before, at pregnance time and after delivery lack diet food which make them susceptible to different diseases.
Globally, more than half a million women die each year because of complication related to pregnancy and child birth. Of the estimated 536,000 maternal deaths worldwide in 2005, developing countries accounted for more than 99 percent. About half of the maternal deaths (265,000)occured in Sub-Saharan Africa alone and one third took place in South Asia (187,000). In the readings different causes of maternal and child mortality were enumerated such as complication of abortion, haemorrhage, obstructed labour, the hypertensive disorder of pregnance and many others.
In Tanzania for example, main causes include malaria and HIV/AIDs. Malaria is number one. this is so because most women go to hospital late and some of the health centers are very far, as the result most women die on the way to hospital. this is also no new born child. Because health centers are very far, most women found it hard to take theif children to hospital frequently as the result they fail to monitor the growth of their baby.
Child mortality is closely linked to povery. Is so because most death occured in developing coutries compared to developed one. Improvement in public health services are essential, including safe water and better sanitation. Education, especially for girls and mother, will also save children's lives. Raising income can help, but little will be achieved unless a greater effort is made to ensure that services reach those who need them most. Problem is here, most health services need payment, and most of people in developing countries are not able to pay, as the result they failed to take their children to hospital for treatment. In Tanzania women are not able to buy even mosquito nets.
Reduction of maternal and child mortality. Here a lot need to be done. Women and girls should be given education before starting reproduction, during pregnance and so forth. Governments should provide free health serivice to women and proper vaccination to children. In case of malaria, each women with a baby under 5 should be given free mosquito net. Health center should be close to people so as to reduce distance in searching for health services.
Infact there are similarities in reducing maternal and child mortality. Education can play role, if you educate girls or women about maternal you should also include education about taking care of the child. All these go hand in hand, is the same as killing two birds by one stone. If you provide mosquito net, it is for mother and the child.
References
www.childinfo.org/mortality_challenge.html
www.childinfo.org/maternal_mortlaity.html
n f
Globally, more than half a million women die each year because of complication related to pregnancy and child birth. Of the estimated 536,000 maternal deaths worldwide in 2005, developing countries accounted for more than 99 percent. About half of the maternal deaths (265,000)occured in Sub-Saharan Africa alone and one third took place in South Asia (187,000). In the readings different causes of maternal and child mortality were enumerated such as complication of abortion, haemorrhage, obstructed labour, the hypertensive disorder of pregnance and many others.
In Tanzania for example, main causes include malaria and HIV/AIDs. Malaria is number one. this is so because most women go to hospital late and some of the health centers are very far, as the result most women die on the way to hospital. this is also no new born child. Because health centers are very far, most women found it hard to take theif children to hospital frequently as the result they fail to monitor the growth of their baby.
Child mortality is closely linked to povery. Is so because most death occured in developing coutries compared to developed one. Improvement in public health services are essential, including safe water and better sanitation. Education, especially for girls and mother, will also save children's lives. Raising income can help, but little will be achieved unless a greater effort is made to ensure that services reach those who need them most. Problem is here, most health services need payment, and most of people in developing countries are not able to pay, as the result they failed to take their children to hospital for treatment. In Tanzania women are not able to buy even mosquito nets.
Reduction of maternal and child mortality. Here a lot need to be done. Women and girls should be given education before starting reproduction, during pregnance and so forth. Governments should provide free health serivice to women and proper vaccination to children. In case of malaria, each women with a baby under 5 should be given free mosquito net. Health center should be close to people so as to reduce distance in searching for health services.
Infact there are similarities in reducing maternal and child mortality. Education can play role, if you educate girls or women about maternal you should also include education about taking care of the child. All these go hand in hand, is the same as killing two birds by one stone. If you provide mosquito net, it is for mother and the child.
References
www.childinfo.org/mortality_challenge.html
www.childinfo.org/maternal_mortlaity.html
n f
Monday, November 2, 2009
EQUALITY
Gender equality can affect access to healthcare services, education, environment and many others. As we have seen in the UNICEF data about education, there is inequality in access to education between girls and boys. The number varies between one county to the other. The worse situation the data is in developing countries. Grown et al. 2005 showed that, for a long time, researchers have recognized that educating girls is important for improving health, reducing genger inequality and empowering women. To do this a lot need to be done. For education improvement, there is a need of making school more affordable by reducing costs and offering targeted scholarships, building secondary schools close to where girls live and making schools girl-friendly (Grown, et al. 2005).
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