Blog #14 Death rates from unintentional injury among children dropped by nearly 30 percent in 10 years

According to the Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the death rates among children and adolescents’ ranging from birth to 19 from unintentional injuries has declined dramatically by 30 percent from the year of 200 to 2009. Even though this is groundbreaking news it does not mean that we have to worry less about the potential for child injuries. In the United States more than 9,000 children were killed as a result of unintentional injuries that occurred. With the rates for unintentional injuries in children dropping, it helps to raise more awareness to the other incidents that are continuing to immolate our youth. According to the article suffocation rates are on the rise, along with poisoning rates, and the rates for prescription drug overdose. Though these incidents are increasing, the number one cause of death from unintentional injury remains to be motor vehicle crashes.  Action to assess the occurrence of these unfortunate incidents has already begun to set a decrease in the number. Strategies such as improving the child safety booster seats and use of graduated drivers licensing systems for teens have assisted in the decline as well. The death rates of children do vary from state to state but even if the decline is more established in one region does not mean that the rest of the world should be forgotten about. According to the article, the Centers for Disease control along with 60 other organizations have taken the initiative to release a National Plan on Child Injury Prevention along with the Vital Signs report. The plan gives a set of overall goals for people to take part in to help decrease the number of unintentional child injuries worldwide. The goals include raising awareness about the problem and the effects it has on our nation, highlighting prevention solutions and strategies, and mobilizing action on a national effort. I feel as if the objectives set are not only realistic ones but importantly they also work to have the efforts of everyone to accomplish imperative goals globally. With everyone taking a part in decreasing the number of unintentional child injuries we should see an even more significant decline in the very near future. 

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/death-rates-from-unintentional-injury-among-children-dropped-by-nearly-30-percent-in-10-years-2012-04-16

 

Blog #13 Climate change a threat to health

The negative effects that global warming poses to the environment, is something that is well publicized all throughout the world. We are all well aware of the damages caused to our ecosystem from the changes of climates. What we don’t know much about however, is the impacts it could have on our human health as well. The Climate Commission released information entitled The Critical Decade: Climate Change and Health forecasts highlighting the negative impact changes in climate has on humans. Some of the risks noted include an increase in the spread of infectious diseases and an increase in the number of deaths associated with extreme temperatures. The importance of this issue is critical because children and the elderly are the main ones at risk concerning this particular issue. It is also important because it is not an issue that affects just one particular region, but in reality this is a global issue. It is expected for every part of the nation to become much hotter in the near future. The increase in temperatures also increases the risks for more extreme weather events, such as floods, tsunamis, and heat waves, which as we have recently seen can cause devastation in communities. Particular infections that have already been noted of occurring include dengue fever, and cases of malaria. These infections are ones that thrive in warmer climates, making it more susceptible for humans to contact. Another risk that people will have to fear due to climate changes is the contamination of food because infections in food are more prevalent in warmer climates as well. Australia is one of the most looked upon regions concerning this issue because of the amount of ozone depletion that has occurred in this particular area. The people of the region have already begun to see an increase in skin cancers due to the increase of exposure to ultraviolet radiation. They are just an example of the potential dangers that will continue to occur around the globe. More attention should be given to this issue because of the people who are more at risk, including the children and adults. They are more vulnerable and need the most assistance with their everyday living, we don’t need another negative factor to add to the equation so we must take action to assess this catastrophe right now.

http://www.agedcareinsite.com.au/pages/section/article.php?s=Clinical&ss=Infection+Control&idArticle=23577

Blog #12 Infants need immunization against life-threatening diseases

Unlike adults, babies are still growing and developing by the minute each day, and because of this they don’t have as strong of an immune system as we do. Without a strong and prominent immune system they are more susceptible to contract many of the viral diseases floating around, just waiting to attack. The Southwest Health District’s 14 county health departments have taken note of this and have joined forces with different counterparts around the world to bring awareness to the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases this month. Many of the diseases that the infants are contracting can simply be prevented by having them fully immunized early on. Since 1994 the National Infant Immunization Week has been in effect to bring awareness to parents, caregivers, and healthcare providers to make sure that their infants are fully immunized against the 14 vaccine-preventable diseases. According to the article, the week will take place this year April 21-28 and it will be celebrated with the first global immunization observance which was initiated by the World Health Organization. This entire project is really important because it is a sure way to help decrease the infant mortality rates of the U.S. I feel as if it can be effective because the vaccines are not very costly and they are usually covered by insurance through The Vaccines for Children program making it more accessible to parents and caregivers. It is also very important to know that just because the diseases are not as prevalent in the United States as they are in some other countries that we are still at risk and so we need to remain prepared at all times. The efforts being put forth to ensure the health of our future population are very important ones and we should all take note and participate because this is something that really affects everyone. We all are connected, whether we have infants of our own, younger siblings or family members, or simply just come in contact with any infants at all. This project could definitely work to help save a valuable and precious life.

http://www.walb.com/story/17365270/infants-need-immunization-against-life-threatening-diseases 

Blog #11 North American Countries Join Forces to Prepare for Pandemics

To improve coordinated responses to influenza pandemics in North America President Barack Obama, Mexican President Felipe Calderon, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper have decided to join forces as a way to enhance the health and safety of residents of all three nations. This plan of action is known as NAPAPI, and it is very important because this is one of the first times something like this has been done. With the banding of these countries it makes for a faster response concerning pandemic threats. The collaboration of the three countries will result in the formation of many new plans of action including, joint conduction of epidemiological investigations of viruses that could cause human influenza pandemics. One of the most important aspects that this new plans involves is the sharing of vaccines, drugs, and diagnostic tests. This is known collectively as medical countermeasures. The interconnectedness of the countries creates stronger ties and increases the chances of improving the overall health of the three countries. This particular act displays the unselfishness of the countries with their commitment to providing better health security across the entire continent. There are other partners that are included in the efforts outside of just the three countries. Some of them include the Departments of State, Agriculture and Homeland Security. Knowing that there are even more people in support of this plan of action gives even more hope that it will be successful. NAPAPI complements HHS which is the federal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. The coming together of the three countries, the United States, Mexico, and Canada is a great idea and can possibly set the precedent of many new ideas to come. It also has the ability to influence other countries to do the same in efforts to improve the global health of the world. 

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/north-american-countries-join-forces-to-prepare-for-pandemics-2012-04-02

Blog #10 Obesity drugs need heart studies, U.S. advisers say

As it widely publicized obesity is among the top killers in today’s society. Obesity is a medical condition in which an excess amount of body fat has accumulated to the point of having a negative effect on the health. It can lead to diabetes and other health problems such as heart disease. Because this particular medical condition is becoming more prevalent than ever before, more medical drugs are being released in hopes of decreasing the number of cases. With new medical drugs and simply with drugs in general comes the opportunity for more health risks. Anti-obesity drugs have a history of increasing the risk of cardiovascular issues. For this very reason, according to the article, U.S drug advisers feel as if heart safety studies should be required for the new obesity drugs being released. Advisory panels have already begun to take votes on whether or not regulators should make companies conduct heart impact studies in order to sell their drugs in the U.S. The advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration voted 17-6 in favor of doing so. However, panelist were split when deciding if companies could do a meta-analysis of existing data prior to approval or if they would have to do a full clinical trial before the drugs could even reach the market. Most of the panelists were more in favor of doing the pre-approval trial and this was most likely partly due to the process of conducting the full clinical trials would be more costly and require more time as well. Society believes that losing weight has the positive effects on the heart, which it does, but according to recent trials on obesity drugs some actually increase heart risks. I feel as if all obesity drugs should have to go through the full clinical trials prior to being put on the shelves for people to buy. The idea of rather being safe than sorry definitely supports my reason. It doesn’t make much sense to put out a drug that is supposed to improve health in some way but ironically is doing the very opposite. Even though not all of the obesity drugs are responsible for doing so, just the fact that they have the opportunity to do so is enough to want to ensure that they don’t.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46899003/ns/us_news/#.T3VOucWPWSo

Blog #9 India's Success Fighting Polio Motivates Rival Pakistan

It is known that there is some underlying rivalry between the countries of India and Pakistan. Recently India has managed to eradicate Polio from its country. Polio is a viral disease that can affect nerves and can lead to partial or full paralysis. Pakistan has taken note of this and has used this information as a sense of motivation for them to do the same. Just last month marked the year anniversary of India being completely free of the viral disease. Ironically within that same year, Pakistan recorded a total of 180 new polio cases, making them the leading carrier of any other country. Remarkably efforts have already been put in motion to tackle this ferocious disease. They have managed to construct polio vaccination teams that visit poor housing areas to immunize every child. Pakistan holds eradication campaigns at national or regional levels eight times a year. I feel as if this is a very positive leap that they have taken in the eradication process. I also feel that it is ideal and smart for them to start the vaccinations with the children, seeing as they are the most susceptible to contracting the disease and they are the future to the country. After families have been vaccinated the outside of their houses are then marked with chalk to make note of it, but they are then gone back to afterwards to be checked and rechecked. This is a very good tactic as well because it is very important to make sure that the disease does not come back which it has the opportunity to do. It gives a sense of security to the people of Pakistan because it’s as if they are making it known that they do care about the long term effects of their health. Because of the ongoing competition between India and Pakistan positive outcomes have been produced from it all. The rivalry has managed to play a role in the unionization of Pakistan’s government and people to focus on a national emergency. 

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Indias-Success-Fighting-Polio-Motives-Rival-Pakistan--143461176.html

Blog #8 The syndrome stealing Uganda and South Sudan's children

There is a mysterious disease that has recently begun to plague the regions of Uganda and South Sudan. This unknown disease that is known to exclusively target children is referred to as the Nodding Syndrome. The cause of the illness is still unknown which is why along with several other neurological disorders remains a complete mystery. Though the first reports of the disease were documented in 2003 there has not been very much progress since then in attempts to actually treat it.  The outside world has been slow to actually take action in investigating the illness partly due to the particular region that is being affected.  What the syndrome actually does is cause the person to spasm uncontrollably and eventually just die after wasting away. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has confirmed a total of 194 cases but it is believed that more than thousands have been affected and the number is steadily increasing. Some brain scans have been done to attempt to receive more information on the Nodding Syndrome and findings suggest that the disease causes measurable brain atrophy. Fortunately, Nodding Syndrome does not have any indication of being spread from person to person. Surprisingly adequate funding has been provided to fund more investigations on the illness. Simply knowing those pieces of information confirms hope that more action is being taken to learn about the disease. The more knowledge acquired, the better the chances are of decreasing the number of cases and eradicating the disease as a whole in the long run. I feel that if more publications are made concerning Nodding Syndrome that awareness would be raised around the world. When people are more knowledgeable about what exactly is going on and who is being affected they will be more susceptible to lend a helping hand to those in need.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17319434 

Blog #7 Thirty Children Diagnosed with Measles in Welsh Town

A shocking count of thirty children has been diagnosed with measles in North Wales, eleven of them being confirmed in just the last several days.  Recent findings suggest that this outbreak has been connected to the Ysgol Eifionydd School in the Porthmadog part of North Wales. Measles is a very contagious illness caused by a virus that affects the respiratory system. It is best known for its typical skin rash and is usually very rare. The only time it is considered not to be is when the child is not properly vaccinated. Of the thirty children who were affected not surprisingly, none of them had received more than one dose of the MMR vaccine. To protect against measles two doses of the vaccine are required. In an attempt to help stop the spread of the virus The Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and Public Health Wales are trying to get the families to go ahead and get their children vaccinated with MMR to prevent any future spreading of the virus.  The area in which the school is in has even managed to host two vaccination catch-up sessions last week where they ironically gave thirty children vaccines. Because the virus is so highly contagious it has been predicted for the spread of it to continue and the number of cases to rise. Children who have not received their two MMR vaccinations are more prone to contract the virus making it easier to spread it to other unvaccinated individuals as well. I feel as if more should be done within the school concerning this entire outbreak since that is where it has all been linked to, but the fact that the community has already begun to take action in decreasing the number of cases, raising awareness, and promoting prevention is very important. It is more the responsibility of the parent to ensure the vaccinations of their own children. Instead of leaving the responsibility solely to the community if each parent were to make sure that their child is vaccinated that is one less child that will be at risk for contracting the virus and spreading it onto other children. 

http://vaccinenewsdaily.com/medical_countermeasures/318081-thirty-children-diagnoses-with-measles-in-welsh-town/

Blog #6 Urbanization is increasing the risk of Heart Disease in children

It is reported that children now have an increased risk of contracting cardiovascular diseases due to urbanization. The physical growth of urban areas due to the result of global changes help to define what exactly urbanization is. The conditions of an urbanized area unfortunately make it easier for diseases to thrive within. Initially the risk of cardiovascular diseases was thought to only affect adults, but as research has progressed it turns out that children, if anything, are actually even more susceptible than adults. Due to this misconception more prosperous communities have not really done anything to try to help prevent the spread of the diseases. This is another one of those instances where a population is unaware of the potential health risks until someone is actually affected within that particular society. Some of the factors listed in the article that contribute to the spread of cardiovascular diseases included crowded living conditions, water pollution and a large display of drugs and alcohol. Not surprisingly these conditions are more prevalent in urbanized areas in comparison to rural ones. In an effort to try to prevent the future spread of CVD and protect the future generations, awareness is being raised globally to tackle the issue. For example, The World Congress of Cardiology will take place in Dubai in April and they will use that as an opportunity to draw attention to the issue in this particular area. Because almost half of the world’s population lives in urban areas this global issue is not one that will disappear overnight.  If every region could use this model and at important events take advantage of the opportunity to raise awareness to the issue, I believe a boost in progress would drastically occur. I also believe that it would make more of an impact if people are aware of the potential risks before they occur so they are able to work in an effort to try to prevent them instead of waiting for them to occur to act on the situation.

http://www.bi-me.com/main.php?id=56754&t=1&c=35&cg=4&mset=1011

Blog #5 Study: High population density is greatest risk factor for water-linked diseases

There are a countless number of risk factors that contribute to the prevalence of water-linked diseases in the world. One of the greatest of those risk factors includes a high population density. There are five known different categories of water-associated diseases.  For different categories of diseases recorded the impacts of certain factors vary. According to the article, studies have shown that Western Europe, Central Africa, Northern India and Southeast Asia are amongst the regions that are the most prone to report cases of outbreaks ranging from E. coli-related diarrhea to dengue fever. Ohio State University scientists have managed to come up with a database with a model that has the ability to predict risks for water-associated disease outbreaks in almost anywhere in the entire world. This is one really big step toward the progression of putting a halt to the outbreak of the diseases. World health experts have also managed to take the initiative into realizing the steps that actually need to be taken and put into action to stop this issue. Some of those risks included being able to get a better handle on the socio-environmental factors that affect the risk for the outbreaks, and providing an early warning to places undergoing global environmental changes. This is such a prevalent issue because clean water is one of the most vital essentials to sustain quality life. All humans need water everywhere all throughout the entire world. Because it is so essential to life it has the ability to carry many hazards that can defectively affect our health. With a greater and denser population because of all of the many people and incalculable amount of germs we all carry it makes the water more susceptible to being infected. I agree that the steps the World Health experts stated to put in motion are definitely very important methods into helping notify the public of this issue, and possibly helping to dramatically decrease the prevalence of the issue of water-linked diseases as well.

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-high-population-density-greatest-factor.html

Blog #4 Researchers warn of untreatable gonorrhea in the United States

Sexually transmitted diseases are very prevalent issues that are constantly on the rise in today’s society. One of those popular diseases is known as gonorrhea. Gonorrhea is an infectious disease that is normally treated with antibiotics, but due to a recent study there have been findings of an untreatable form of this particular disease. The disease is untreatable because it is resistant to the antibiotic cephalosporin. Gonorrhea has a history of being resistant to antimicrobial agents over a course of many years. The disease is becoming such a threat because they are finding traces of it that is multi-drug resistant right here in the United States. Due to the new trend of it being less susceptible and paired with the history of it thriving in society this is definitely a disease that needs to be eradicated as soon as possible. Now that it is being publicized and that reports have been made of treatment failures in other countries, momentum is finally being picked up in the pace for putting the efforts needed into helping eliminate gonorrhea. The article stated how authors including Gail A. Bolan, director of the Division of STD prevention in Atlanta, and Judith N. WAsserheirt, vice chair of the Department of Global Health in Washington, have issued out an urgent call for action to be taken to halt the continued increases in the drug related disease. The fact that it is hitting close to home puts it into reality that it has the potential globally affect the world. The fact that attention it just now being drawn to this issue because it is threatening to the United States is partly disturbing. The disease has obviously been around for a very long time and more could have been done before now. Prevention should be the main thing that is promoted so we won’t even have to worry about any form of Gonorrhea, whether untreatable or not. When the realization that gonorrhea was resistant to certain antimicrobial agents was revealed, I feel as if that should have been a red flag right there and a sign that more studies should have been conducted to help work against this problem immediately.

http://www.healthcanal.com/infections/26445-Researchers-warn-untreatable-gonorrhea-the-United-States.html 

Blog #3 Mexico health sec: Swine flu way up after low year

It appears that the season of swine flu has come around earlier than expected this year. Well at least that seems to be the case for Mexico. It appeared in the U.S. in April 2009 and never went away, and it was only three years ago when the world almost broke out in complete hysteria due to the widespread of the infectious disease. By January of 2012 Mexico had already reported more cases of the virus then they had in all of 2011. Unfortunately this is not unusual and is a normal number of cases within the flu season for Mexico. The rapid pace of the outbreak seems to be causing a great amount of deaths fairly soon. Thirty-two people have already died from the flu and only three of them were from things other than H1N1. Because there was such a low number reported of the virus just last year, the country was not properly stocked for this pandemic. Private schools and pharmacies were forced to close due to shortage of the antiviral drugs. Due to the high number of deaths from the initial outbreak in 2009 Mexican authorities have already begun to work more diligently to attempt to keep the flu under wraps. Because this was such a global pandemic the swine flu is now included in the flu vaccine that people are encouraged to get yearly. I feel as if the swine flu only became an issue when the outbreak started to affect more people than expected. Mexico was not really prepared for their most recent outbreak and I believe that it was something that could have easily been prevented. Due to the outbreak in the previous year, that should have set the precedent for them as to what was to come in the future. The severity of swine flu cases varies from mild to severe but there is no definite way in determining just how serious any particular outbreak may get. For this very reason is why we must take safety precautions, plan ahead, and take note of the history of diseases to ensure the safety of the world, Mexico included, from prevalent respiratory diseases such as the swine flu. 

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9SKKHMG0.htm

Blog #2 Europe 'must tackle burden of diabetes

The prevalence of chronic diseases everywhere around the world is something that we are all aware of. It would be ideal for countries to focus on this matter and make it a priority to attempt to eradicate these illnesses. Unfortunately for us they seemed to be more focused on the economy than anything else. It takes a country to step up and start making changes for themselves for the betterment of their people. Europe is one of the very few doing just that. It is reported that Europeans are in fact living longer but they are still contracting chronic illnesses and type II diabetes.  About 350,000 people die from diabetes every year in Europe alone. According to Danish European affair minister Nicolai Wammen, the EU has decided to focus on trying to tame the issue of diabetes as a test case as a solution for other chronic diseases. Though incurable, diabetes is one of the most preventable of all chronic diseases, so you wouldn’t expect it to be as big of an issue as it is. There are many officials and representatives of the EU that feel as if awareness of the illness is essential in this entire process.   As stated in the article, care for diabetes struggled due to insufficient human resources, poor funding of lifestyle change, and inadequate physician training. I believe if Europe continues on their path to try to exterminate the overwhelming cases of diabetes then they should definitely see some improvement. The reasons as to why it is still such an issue can easily be enhanced if put forth the effort to do so. With their attempt to tackle the problem of type II diabetes, I not only believe that it will help with the idea of eventually  tackling other chronic diseases, but it may also help serve as a model for others around the world. It could potentially promote the idea of taking note of the importance of the health of the population which is exactly what we need.

http://www.theparliament.com/latest-news/article/newsarticle/europe-must-tackle-burden-of-diabetes/

Blog #1 Health organizations join to help prevent spread of cholera in Haiti

Two years after the earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, the island of Hispaniola unfortunately still manages to face difficulty with the seemingly uncontrollable outbreak of cholera. The disease is transmitted primarily by the intake of food and water that has been contaminated by feces of an infected person. Cholera mainly occurs in places with poor sanitation, crowding, war, and famine.. Being aware of this issue, representatives from health institutes around the globe gathered on January 11^th at the Pan American Health Organization to discuss the spread of the disease and also what actions need to be taken to help eradicate it. They managed to come up with a campaign called Call to Action: A Cholera-Free Hispaniola. Reportedly 7,001 deaths in Haiti and 363 in Dominican Republic have occurred as of December 25^th.  They have managed to save thousands of lives with various control strategies. Haiti still reports 100 to 200 cases of cholera a day. The fact that cholera is even present in the region is important not only to the island of Hispaniola but to all of the neighboring countries as well. Presidents Michael Joseph Martelly of Haiti and Leonel Fernandez of the Domican Republic have both go on to say how they not only wish to gain control of the disease but to kick it completely off the continent. I do believe that it is definitely possible for the countries to put a stop to the widespread of the cholera disease. I just feel as if it is going to take more than just the figure heads bringing awareness to the issue. The people of the countries are the ones who need to take more action to help. Taking more initiative by doing simple things such as washing their hands, and actually receiving water through the designated water supply could work to greatly improve the overall health. To me, its almost as if the people will not start to really take action until the already sky rocketed number of deaths from this disease increases to an even more ridiculous number. 

http://www.utepprospector.com/news/health-organizations-join-to-help-prevent-spread-of-cholera-in-haiti-1.2742693?MMode=true#.TxnIQqWJeSp