Communicable Diseases
Communicable diseases are those diseases that can potentially be transmitted from one living organism to another. These generally are contagious diseases and may be transmitted through consumption of food, drink, inhaling of air, contact with contaminated substance etc. (WHO, 2009). Some of the most common communicable diseases include HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria, Measles, Respiratory Infections, Flu and Diarrhea. (Department of Health NY)
The reason why I’m interested in this issue is because of the widespread implications of these diseases. The most challenging thing about these diseases is how these diseases can unknowing infect a person. For an example, consider a person who has a Flu drinks in the same glass as all other people at work. This is how simply an infectious disease can inhibit others around you. For this reason I want to research further in this topic to gain an insight about the development of vaccines and quicker cures to prevent communicable diseases.
Organ Transplants
Organ transplants refer to moving a working organ from one body to another body whose organ has become damaged. This is one of the most complex medical procedures where the donor’s organ and the recipient’s body must be in sync to work correctly or else the organ might be rejected by the immune system of the body. The donor of the organ can be living (usually in case of kidneys, liver, lungs transplants) or deceased (usually in case of heart, pancreas and eye transplants). Two of the factors that are essential for a successful transplant are the matching of blood type and the time taken to replace an organ.
My interest in this research theme is due to the exceptionally large amounts of transplants being conducted worldwide. Of all the transplants, kidney is the most common organ to be transplanted due to the lower risk attached to the donor (How Stuff Works (a)). Another reason for the interest is due to the illegal organ transplants done for earning money. While there are stories of a parent selling his/her organ to feed his/her family, there are also reports that many gangs abduct people to remove their organs to be sold in the ‘black market’. (How Stuff Works (b))
Mental Health
Mental health is one of the most researched areas in science due to its complexity and charms undiscovered by science. The brain helps us act and think the way we do, sometimes its decisions cannot be understood by the doctors. Most common mental illnesses like depressions, phobias, anger, Dementia, Alzheimer’s and addictions are ranked second in causing disability to a person while the victim refuses to see the truth. (Long, 2008)
My interest in the mental health field of research is caused by the many unopened doors of the brain. We may not be able to truly understand the brain functionality in this decade, but what we may discover may well be worth the effort. (Mental Help)
Strong and Weak Research
Science had come a long way into discovering diagnosis, cures, and vaccines for many diseases that have plagued us since our inception. This has been the result of numerous researches done in all fields of health sciences however I believe that some areas deserve more research and funding. For me communicable diseases and organ transplants have come a long way into understanding how and what needs to be done to cure a problem and I consider them strong areas of research, however mental illnesses like Dementia and Alzheimer’s need a whole lot of research before we can find a true cure rather than just a slowing of the disease.
Works Cited
Department of Health NY. “Communicable Disease Fact Sheets”. Department of Health New York State. Web
How Stuff Works (a). “Organ Donation Statistics”. How Stuff Works. Web.
How Stuff Works (b). “The Organ Black Market”. How Stuff Works. Web.
Long, P. “Mental Health” Internet Metal Health. Web.
Mental Help. “Mental Disorders” CenterSite. Web.
WHO. “The world health report” World Health Organization. Web.