Diarrheal Diseases as a Public Health Issue
Origin
Though the issue of diarrheal diseases may seem not as crucial as other topical health concerns, such as cancer, AIDS, etc., the specified disorders still deserve to be listed among the top key health concerns of the 21st century. The reason for enteric and diarrheal diseases to be ranked among the most dangerous threats to the health of people all over the world is quite basic. Because of poor living standards, i.e., unsanitary conditions, poor nutrition, lack of healthcare facilities and professional healthcare services, etc., the death toll among the residents of areas with low living standards is getting increasingly high. According to the recent statistical data, around 550,000 children die annually because of disorders related to diarrhea (CDC, 2013).
Means of treatment
One must admit that humankind has made impressive progress since the 1980s, as new and rather efficient methods of fighting the specified problem have emerged. Specifically, the integration of the latest technology for determining the cause of the diarrheal problems must be mentioned. In addition, there have been a number of attempts of delivering the required medicine to the remote corners of Africa and other areas, where people suffered from the above-mentioned disorders (PATH, 2009).
Adding political and economic perspectives
With all respect to the attempts of healthcare specialists to improve the current situation, though, one must mention that the concern in question should be approached from not only a medical angle but also political and economic ones. To be more exact, decent living conditions and the provision of better nutrition components must be facilitated to the people suffering from digestion problems in general and diarrhea issues in particular. Moreover, the environmental issue, i.e., water pollution as the possible reason for people to suffer from diarrhea and similar health problems deserve to be listed among the top priorities.
Neglected Diseases and What They Ensue
Neglected diseases in the 21st century
The issue of neglected diseases has been on the global agenda for not quite long, yet the problem has already gained an air of notoriousness around it. In the light of the fact that humankind has advanced greatly in the 21st century, the necessity to prevent seemingly bygone diseases and disorders from occurring became less evident, which resulted in the threat of neglected diseases returning.
Key neglected diseases
In order to examine the scale of the problem that the healthcare services may face rather soon, one must mention the diseases such as Buruli ulcer, Chagas disease, Cholera, Dengue Fever including Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, Dracunculiasis, Lymphatic Filariasis, African Trypanosomiasis, Leishmaniasis, Leprosy, Onchocerciasis, Schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthes and trachoma (Aagaard-Hansen & Chaignat, 2010).
Recent Initiatives
The issue under consideration is not to be underrated. While the chance of contracting one of the aforementioned diseases may seem minor to an average European or American citizen, the very fact that the diseases are becoming dangerous again is worth being anxious about. After all, one must note that three levels of neglected diseases exist, and that the consistency of the problem’s growth allows assuming that it will reach the second level soon. As promising as the initiatives such as Southern Cone Initiative to Eliminate Chagas (Aagaard-Hansen & Chaignat, 2010) may be, they are still not quite efficient due to the lack of funding. Allowing for a massive research of the poor conditions causing the diseases, this program links the issue of poverty and insanitary conditions with the specified health concerns in order to locate a sustainable solution. Therefore, the threat of neglected diseases must be approached from both healthcare and economic aspects.
Reference List
Aagaard-Hansen, J. & Chaignat, C. L. (2010). Neglected tropical diseases: equity and social determinants. In Blas, E. & Kurup, A. S. Equity, social determinants and public health programmes (135–158). Geneva, SW: WHO.
CDC. (2013). Global diarrhea burden. Web.
PATH. (2009). Diarrheal diseases: Solutions to defeat a global killer. Web.