Poverty-stricken, developing nations around the globe are facing a major, deep-seated health crisis. There is a current epidemic of communicable, or contagious, diseases in countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa and Asia primarily. The three diseases affecting the most people in the impoverished regions are HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis. These three diseases alone account for 10% of world mortality. At first, it seems odd that diseases such as those above would be such a problem anywhere because, in the United States and other developed nations, AIDS, for one example, is, for the most part, under control with antiretrovirals to suppress the HIV virus and other drugs and therapies used to prevent and treat opportunistic infections that could result from HIV. Malaria and Tuberculosis are almost completely eradicated in developed nations through major insecticide sprays after World War II for the former and anti-tuberculosis drugs for the latter. In the United States, for example, the top three killers are heart disease, cancer and stroke; these are non-communicable diseases that develop from a high-consumption lifestyle. In poverty-stricken nations, contagious diseases are extremely more prevalent than the non-communicable diseases because of crowded living and working conditions, poor sanitation, malnutrition, stress, overwork, lack of appropriate healthcare and a high percentage of prostitutes. Developing nations account for 95% of AIDS cases and 98% of active tuberculosis infections. 90% of malaria deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa alone! Overall, 14 million people die per year due to poverty-related diseases.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
HIV/AIDS in Africa
Every year about 5 million people are infected with HIV/AIDS and more then 3 million die. HIV/AIDS is an infectious disease spread through contact with bodily fluids such as blood, semen and breast milk. HIV, or the Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a retrovirus, meaning that when it duplicates in a host cell, it reproduces DNA from its RNA genome. This DNA is integrated in the host cell, allowing it to continue to replicate for years. HIV attacks the immune system, which is the body’s protection against disease. Eventually, HIV leads to AIDS, which is Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. This leaves the individual extremely vulnerable to opportunistic infections leading to pulmonary, gastrointestinal, psychiatric and neurological problems as well as the possibility of the growth of cancerous tumors. Unprotected sex and sharing of contaminated needles are two common ways that HIV/AIDS is spread, however the huge disparity existing in the number of HIV cases in developing nations vs. developed nations comes also due to the fact that poor nations are predisposed to it. Depletion of macro- and micronutrients, specifically vitamin A, due to malnutrition supports viral replication that increases the risk of HIV transmission. Being infected with other diseases such as malaria and parasitic diseases that are related to unclean water leads to an increased rate of HIV transmission, as well. Infectious diseases like AIDS and malnutrition work in a cycle: the diseases lower the body’s ability to take in essential nutrients and nutritional deficiencies make the body more susceptible to infection! AIDS is now second only to the Black Death as the largest epidemic in history! 1 person dies every 17 seconds!
Malnutrition-The Silent Killer
Around the world, 852 million people do not have an adequate amount of food and 214 million of these people are chronically malnourished. The Food and Agriculture Organization recommends a daily caloric intake of 2350, and these malnourished individuals may not even intake half of that amount in a day. Even if they do meet calorie recommendations, these people are lacking important nutrients such as fats, proteins, vitamins and micronutrients, such as iron. Everyday about 25,000 people die due to hunger or hunger-related causes and about 16,000 of these people are children. Malnutrition accounts for 54% of childhood deaths. Impoverished, malnourished people are caught in a terrible cycle. They lack the money needed to purchase adequate food and therefore become weak and sick, unable to work productively to get more money. In developed nations, people spend an average of $10.00/day on food. In poor developing nations, a daily food ration from the World Food Program costs only $0.29 and still, many people cannot receive the amount of food necessary to lead a basic lifestyle.
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis dates back to 4000 BC and is believed to have killed more people in the history of humankind than any other disease. Formerly called consumption, Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by strains of mycobacterium. It mainly affects the lungs and it is spread when people with an active infection cough or sneeze, transmitting saliva through the air. Coughing up blood, fever, night sweats and weight loss are the symptoms. There is about 1 new infected person every second but only 1 in 10 latent infections progress to active disease. About 80% of the populations of several Asian and African countries have the tuberculosis bacteria. Vaccines to prevent tuberculosis and anti-bacterial drugs for treatment are often unavailable to impoverished regions due to the inadequate or complete lack of healthcare.
Intestinal Parasites and Diarrhea
Contaminated water in impoverished tropical regions leads to a high prevalence of intestinal parasites such as hookworms, roundworms and other amoebas. These parasites deplete essential nutrients through intestinal blood less and chronic diarrhea. Diarrhea causes the loss of large amounts of fluids and salts, and those already sick or malnourished have difficulty recovering. Diarrheal diseases such as cholera and dysentery kill about 1.6 million people each year, most of them children. The treatment is simple Oral Rehydration Therapy, a mixture of water, salts and sugars, but still so many children die each year due to excessive diarrhea. Schistosomiasis, a parasitic infection occurs where snails release larval forms of trematodes. The parasite penetrates the skin, laying eggs that affect the intestines or the urinary tract. This disease increases the risk of HIV transmission.
Malaria
In tropical and subtropical regions where there are consistently high temperatures and there is significant rainfall, mosquitoes can breed continuously throughout most of the year, thriving in the heat and moisture. A mosquito bite from a female anopheles mosquito carrying the protist Plasmodium after having bitten a person with malaria transmits the disease. Malaria parasites multiply in red blood cells causing headache, fever, shivering, arthralgia (joint pain), vomiting, anemia, retinal damage, dry cough and convulsions. It can cause cognitive impairments, especially in children. The malaria epidemic in Central America, sub-Saharan Africa and parts of tropical Asia is due to poverty and also prolongs poverty. Many people in these regions cannot afford $6.00 bed nets to keep mosquitoes out or insect repellant. Also, anti-malarial drugs are often unavailable in these areas. Being infected with malaria increases susceptibility to HIV and HIV infection increases malarial episodes. 1 million deaths from malaria each year are children under the age of 5! 58% of malaria cases occur in the poorest 20% of the world.
World Malaria Day 2011
This is the fourth Malaria Day to commemorate global efforts to control malaria.