World+Health

Health can be defined as the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. Being considered healthy has always been an issue, but has become an even greater problem in today’s world. Outbreaks and diseases are becoming a major concern with such a tendency to spread so easily. In recent years newer and more dangerous viruses and diseases have plagued our society, causing them to be difficult to battle. The reason that viruses are so dangerous today is because of their rapid mutation rates, and their ability to spread quickly; even with aid and more advanced medical technology. They spread faster than ever before. It seems the only way to combat global diseases such as these is prevention. Through-out this document you will find the major and most widely affecting diseases of the world. The key to prevention is awareness and education of what is around you.  Malaria is one of the worlds most common and serious disease, is a protozoa (species of bug) infection transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. Every year, Malaria causes near one million deaths and near 300-500 million cases. More than 41% of the world's population is at risk of getting Malaria, and is increasing yearly due to weakening of health systems, growing drug/ insecticide resistance, climate changing (global warming), and war. Malaria has been a problem for many years and it still is today. Millions of people, young and old, suffer from this horrible disease. The number of people affected by malaria is rapidly increasing. Malaria infects the red blood cells and liver, transferred to its host by a female mosquito. When the mosquito bites its prey, the parasite travels through the mosquito's saliva glands to the bloodstream of its victim. It then goes for a ride through the bloodstream down to the liver. It rests there for about nine to sixteen days. Then it goes in for the kill. The malaria parasite lives off of the host's blood from inside the body. This nasty little parasite will stay in its host until it is transferred through another mosquito to a different host, or until its host dies. Some symptoms of malaria are chills, headaches, low blood sugar, fever and eventually organ failure.  Malaria is widespread in a total of 105 countries and territories: 45 countries in African Region, 21 in Americas Region, 6 in European Region, 14 in Eastern Mediterranean Region, 9 in South East Asia Region, and 10 in Western Pacific Region.  Around 3,000 people die from Malaria each day in the Sub-Sahara (mostly children). Roughly 6% of Malaria cases occur in Southern and Southeast Asia, Mexico, Brazil, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Central and South America, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands. In some areas, the infection rates are higher during the rainy season-a time of intense agricultural activity. (Humidity plays role). 90% of Malaria deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa. 30% of Malaria deaths in Africa occur in the stir of war, local violence and other public emergencies. An estimation of up to 124 million people in Africa live in areas at risk of seasonal epidemic Malaria, and many more in areas outside Africa where spread is at lower risk. People living in temporary housing (with little protection) are more vulnerable to Malaria because they are more likely to be bitten by mosquitoes, are often ill with other infections, and lack access to health care. High-risk groups include children, pregnant women, travelers, refugees, displaced persons, and laborers entering endemic areas.  Malaria increases poverty by drastically reducing efficiency and social stability. Poorer populations carry the vast burden of Malaria because of the ease of being able to access medicine is limited (also not enough medicine).  There are few limited ways on preventing Malaria such as insecticide spraying and bed nets. Today only 2% of children in Africa have bed nets with the insecticide. There are other ways of prevention, but are not available if you can’t afford it. In some areas, Malaria parasites have developed resistance to the most common drug that people can afford. Other effective ways of preventing Malaria are vector controls which are an agricultural ways of poisoning the ground which kills off the growing larvae, (ex: applying oil to an open pond). Vaccination is common for high-risk individuals, but not effective yet because they are still undergoing the approval process and waiting on further development. Indoor residual spraying is putting insecticides on the interior walls of homes in high-risk Malaria affected areas. There are several p rophylactic drugs which are used for the prevention of Malaria. Not many people can receive p rophylactic drugs because they are hard to obtain to from outside of the country being so high cost.   Tuberculosis, caused by mycobacterium, attacks the central nervous system, lymphatic system, circulatory system, bones, joints, skin tissue, and most of all the lungs. The bacterium slowly deteriorates the insides of the lungs, causing infected victims to cough blood, making it extremely contagious. Tuberculosis is easier to treat, with effective treatments but in many other poverty stricken countries, the disease has a higher chance of spreading. Today, 1/3 of the world’s population is affected by Tuberculosis. HIV/AIDS has become a major concern in most countries since it first became a threat more than 20 years ago. It is a particularly dangerous virus, due to its incredible resilience to drugs. A vaccine cannot be made, because the virus is too small to be recognized by your immune system. The worst part is that HIV/AIDS has a 100% fatality rate. HIV/AIDS does not actual kill you, technically. It attacks your immune system and disables it's response to common infections, and other viruses you would usually be able to fight off without a problem.  Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a respiratory disease in humans which is caused by the SARS corona virus. SARS causes fever, myalgia, lethargy, gastrointestinal symptoms, cough, sore throat and other non-specific symptoms. SARS is incurable, and spreads fast, just like a common cold with particularly high fevers. The SARS virus fatality rate fluctuates a lot from age to age; being young 1% affected by SARS and 50% death rate in the elderly. <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">We have taken proper safety precautions to not spread the virus, and it has become fairly well controlled in most countries; no deaths from SARS have been reported in the US, although in China there has been over 5000 cases and over 300 deaths. <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">Antibiotics are ineffective as SARS is a viral disease. Treatment of SARS so far has been largely supportive with antipyretics, supplemental oxygen and antiviral or steroids to help patients. There may be some benefit from using steroids and other immune modulating agents in the treatment of the more acute SARS patients. <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">In December 2004 theory from Chinese researchers succeeded in producing a SARS vaccine. It has been tested on a group of 36 volunteers, 24 of the 36 developed antibodies against the virus; which may be the new vaccine to help prevent the spread of SARS. <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">Mad Cow Disease was created through human actions. Certain feed companies began putting ground meat and bone meal into cow feed. The Scrapie found in sheep mutated thus infecting the cows. When the infected cows were butchered and shipped off, they carried <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">the disease with them. The disease is very resistant to heat, so cooking the meat did not kill it. Therefore the people who ate the meat, became infected. Mad Cow disease gets its name due to the fact that it affects the cow's nervous system and brain, and makes the cow act as on acid; but has different affects when it affects humans. Mad Cow disease kills a person only by increasing the risk of Creutzfeldt - Jakob disease (CJD). CJD affects a human's brain, and the brain cells die until the brain takes on a spongy appearance. The person looses mental and physical ability until they die. Even though this condition is very rare, Mad Cow has not been considered as a major threat as it did a few years ago. <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">Bird Flu is a big deal for similar reasons. The viruses mutate and inherit the ability to jump from bird to person, instead of remaining within the same species. Although a major concern is if the virus develops the ability to spread from person to person, causing spread to be rapid, many would die, and it would most likely become a global pandemic. <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">Genetic mutations in viruses are a common threat to humanity, and not just in HIV/AIDS. In fact, all viruses experience genetic mutations. <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">These diseases are more of a concern today than they ever used to be. That is because there are over 6 billion people on earth, all capable of helping to spread, produce, and even create new diseases. New diseases made through mutations are the biggest concern, because we cannot fight back. Our immune systems are only so strong, and they are the only defense against all health hazards. <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">Infectious diseases take thousands of lives a day. The problem is worldwide, with worldwide consequences. Developing countries have been hit the hardest, with their booming population and insufficient sanitation. Well developed countries, such as the United States and the UK have less of a problem with infectious diseases, due to their access to supplies and hospitals. Some of these problems with infections still exist within developing countries due to inadequate supplies of antibacterial agents, as well as problems with distribution. <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">A bacterium attacks the body by destroying and consuming cells. This is how an infected cut becomes so red and swollen. Pus that oozes out of the cut is actually dead white blood cells, which have gorged themselves to death on bacteria and all other foreign objects within the cut. Left untreated, infected cuts can be deadly, depending on the types and quantities of bacteria present, and by the size of the cut. <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif""> Infections can become very serious, and even kill you, but viruses are much more dangerous. This is because viruses cannot be killed by a simple anti-bacterial shot. Viruses, in fact, cannot be killed, they are never alive. Viruses are essentially genetic material surrounded by a protein shell. <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif""> Every virus attacks a specific type(s) of cells in your body. They use the cell as a host to reproduce, killing the cell. So how does your immune system fight these viruses, and how do vaccines prevent you from becoming sick from them? <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">The immune system has cells that detect foreign cells (or viruses) in your body. The immune system responds by sending white blood cells to stop the problem. White blood cells "consume" the foreign cells or viruses, and they continue to do so until they burst. This only happens if the immune system properly detects what kind of infection or viral invasion you are experiencing. <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">Vaccines work by injecting a damaged version of whatever virus the vaccine is supposed to stop, and allowing your immune system to recognize the threat, before it is real. Your immune system simply cannot fight it, because the HIV/AIDS parasite is ridiculously small compared to a cell, and cannot be detected, even if the virus is damaged. <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">Antibiotics do not work as well as they used to for the same reason. Bacteria can also mutate and become resistant to certain antibiotics. The difference is that vaccines, do not work for every single virus, obviously. <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif""> <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif""> <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif""> Despite new viral threats, there have been a lot of viruses that have become ineffective to killing humans anymore. Vaccines have been made for as many viruses they can be made for, and are very effective. Some vaccines do not work for all people, and some vaccines cannot be made for certain viruses (such as HIV/AIDS). <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">It could be said that bacteria are the most prevalent form of life, seen as how they live within almost every multi-cellular organism. Viruses are even more prevalent, but they are not technically alive. <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">Vaccines are likely target practice for the body’s immune system. The immune system sets up a response for that particular vaccine, which corresponds to a certain virus. Vaccines for bacteria do not exist with it being a completely different reaction altogether. Antibacterial agents can kill the infection, or at least aid the immune system. <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif""> The effects of these diseases are all severe. The diseases are still prevalent today, and are becoming stronger with each mutation. Raising awareness of diseases would go a long way in reducing their effects. Completely eliminating these diseases will be near impossible. Diseases can survive in dead bodies buried underground for hundreds of years. However, if medical science can find vaccines for these diseases, and distribute them, then the diseases would no longer be as serious of a threat. <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">There are some organizations which are participating in the prevention of such diseases like “The Global Fund”, but what can we do as high school students to stop such diseases? The best defense against these diseases is prevention. <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">Our theory as a group is that if awareness of these diseases is raised, then prevention of these diseases would harm less people. Producing treatments along with knowledge of prevention will make these diseases less harmful. <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif""> <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif""> <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">
 * __<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">Introduction to Global Problem __**
 * <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif""> __Malaria__ **<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">
 * __<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">Tuberculosis __**<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">
 * __<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">HIV/AIDS __**<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif""> <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">
 * __<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">SARS __**<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">
 * <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif""> __Mad Cow Disease__ **<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">
 * <span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif""> __Bird Flu__ **<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">
 * __<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">Resistance __**<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">
 * __<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">Preventions __**
 * __<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">Our Solutions __**<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"">