Tackling global health risks prevents premature deaths

Melanie Lofgren
10/27/09
9:32 p.m.

The World Health Organization released a report stating that one quarter of the 60 million premature deaths of infants can be prevented if everyone simply ensures adequate care of five health issues: childhood underweight, unsafe sex, alcohol use, lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene, and high blood pressure. The report also goes on to say that premature death and disease are often caused by more than one risk factor. The leading cause of death (worldwide) is coronary disease. Eight risk factors count for more than 75% of these cases: alcohol consumption, high blood glucose, tobacco use, high blood pressure, high body mass index, high cholesterol, low fruit and vegetable intake and physical inactivity. "More than a third of the global child deaths can be attributed to a few nutritional risk factors such as childhood underweight, inadequate breastfeeding and zinc deficiency," says Colin Mathers, Coordinator for Mortality and Burden of Disease at WHO. A majority of these worldwide deaths happen in developing countries.

I think that in developed countries, where resources (such as contraceptives) and help are abundant and plentiful, if someone gets pregnant then they should absolutely abstain from these health risks. Some of the health risks cannot be prevented if the mother already has the conditions such as high blood pressure, high blood glucose or high cholesterol. However, the other items listed are controllable and it is the mother’s duty to her unborn child to be as healthy as she can during its critical time of development. On the other hand, it is more difficult for those in developing countries for they do not have the same kind of available resources as those in developed countries. This can tie back to my last article stating that we need to overcome the poor-rich divide and help those overseas. The government also needs to step in and address health issues in their country.

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2009/health_risks_report_20091027/en/index.html