Global Health

This is a reaction probe to epidemic cholera in sierra Leone the cause orbit of an volcanic eruption retrieved from According to A. D. A. M. medical exam Encyclopedia, epidemic cholera is an transmission system of the small bowel that causes a large amount of washy dissolution. cholera is cause by the bacterium vibrio epidemic epidemic cholerae. The bacteria handouts a toxin that causes increased release of water from cells in the intestines, which produces austere diarrhea ( study bring in of wellness ,U.S. National depository library of accost The realisms Largest medical checkup Library,A. D. A. M. Medical Encyclopedia, may thirtieth 2012). If left un inured, it quarter execute within hours and al well-nigh eighty percentage of cases underside be boomingly treated with oral rehydration salts. People get infected by eat or drunkenness contaminated nourishment and water and it normally manifests in flecks with poor sanitization, crowding, war, and fami ne want Africa, Asia, India, Mexico and South and Central America. The availability of rock-steady drinking water and proper sanitization is critical in reducing the touch on of cholera and other waterborne complaints. viva voce cholera vaccine likewise reduces the fortune of finale by fifty percent . sierra Leone, a West African acres that has been ravaged by wars for years , see the worst epidemic cholera outbreak in fifteen years. As of september nineteenth of this year, 19000 cases and 274 deaths have been reported. It was unusual for the epidemic cholera outbreaks to advance in February , the diaphragm of the dry gruntle because most cholera outbreaks take place in the showery season. At the aggression of the cholera outbreak, the Ministry of wellness and sanitisation, WHO , UNICEF and Medecins Sans Frontieres-Belgium worked together to detect, plunk for ,treat and pr flatt the cholera outbreak . however when it started fall in June, cholera dissipate apac e and by August, 2000 cases were reported per week. The Ministry of Health and Sanitation have also come out up a network for all wellness pores to report daily cases of outbreaks and have been works with WHO and partners in spreading messages close to preventative drinking water, hand process and food preparation. WHO has also brought in additional experts in epidemiology, surveillance, logistics, social mobilization, water and sanitation from other WHO ground offices and set up a Cholera argument and control centre.Inspite of all these efforts, there is a monstrous shortage of oral rehydration salts and they be expecting 32 000 cases in this outbreak. * - ? The wellness of a res publica is often based on sister and mother morbidity and death rate range (GCH-205-DL2, mental faculty 4, Lauren Savaglio). In 2007, sierra Leone had the exaltedest aim of child mortality in the world. parental mortality is also one of the highest in the world. One in eight women happe n dying during pregnancy and childbirth. The infant mortality rate of sierra Leone is 123 deaths per 1000 experience births in 2009 .Babies born in Sierra Leone in 2005 had a life prediction of only 38 years. So it can be said that public wellness is generally poor in Sierra Leone. Epidemiology is the contemplate of the distri exception and causes of health and disorder in populations (Jacobsen,p. 7). In the case of the cholera outbreak in Sierra Leone, the infections started in the western area of the ground where the capital, Freetown, is located. Cholera outbreaks usually occur in the showery season but the outbreak in Sierra Leone started in February which is in the middle of the dry month.According to World Health Organization, Cholera is an extremely virulent disease. It affects both children and adults and can kill within hours. About 75% of people infected with V. cholerae do non gear up any symptoms, although the bacteria are present in their faeces for 714 days af ter infection and are shed back into the environment, potentially infecting other people. Among people who develop symptoms, 80% have mild or discuss symptoms, while around 20% develop acute watery diarrhoea with severe dehydration. This can lead to death if untreated.People with funky immunity such as malnourished children or people living with humanity immunodeficiency virus are at a massive risk of death if infected (National Institute of health ,U. S. National Library of Medicine The Worlds Largest Medical Library,A. D. A. M. Medical Encyclopedia, May 30th 2012). Therefore the risk factors of transmission of Cholera in a developing country the likes of Sierra Leone is very high since there is no adequate environ cordial management and no minimum needments for promiscuous drinking water and sanitation. alike(p) Jacobsen states in the textbook, Introduction to Global Health, eep in wit socioeconomic, political, behavioral, and environmental risk factors that contrib ute to creating the occasion in which the disease occurs(Jacobsen,p. 13). * - Since cholera causes dehydration, the disease is treated using oral rehydration therapy (ORT), which is basically a solution do with water, peag and salts. They can be bought as prepacked mixtures or can also be made at home by combining clean, boiled 1 fifty of water with 8 teaspoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt.But sometimes, severe cases of cholera require intravenous fluid replacement. Antibiotics can thin out illness, but should up to now be used in combination with the Oral Rehydration Therapy. The most basic way of preventing cholera is do indisputable communities prone to these epidemics have coming to clean water and proper sanitation . Communities should also be educated some the importance of proper hygiene like hand-washing with soap after using the comfort station and before cooking or eating . They should also be educated approximately safe handling , preparation and comput er memory of food .Media such as radio, video recording or newspapers and even community and sacred leaders can also be effective in spreading health education messages. And at times, early sensing of the outbreak and timely provisions of manipulation , like in the Sierra Leone case, is also necessary to reduce the number of deaths. * - I think, at the onset of the outbreak, Sierra Leones Ministry of Health and Sanitation did a great job in operative with the presidency and other health sectors to confirm the outbreak of the disease even though the country has very few resources and capacity.With the help of WHO, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and partners including UNICEF and Medecins Sans Frontieres-Belgium was also able to detect, treat and prevent the spread of cholera. They also set up a cholera command and control centre and trained health workers in cholera treatment and prevention. They were successful in reducing the number of outbreaks to less than 40 per we ek but when the rainy season started in June, the epidemic spread rapidly to other districts and the number of cases arose to 2000 per week. But it should be noned that in Freetown, where the firstly outbreak occurred, there has been ignificant reduction of cases. WHOs Representative in Sierra Leone, Dr Wondimagegnehu Alemu, states that more villages affected by the epidemic still face a shortage of Oral Rehydration Therapy solution, the most effective and life deliver treatment for an outbreak like this. The cholera epidemic in Sierra Leone made me realize how health inequalities does exist among the poor and rich population and how even with improved prevention and therapeutic techniques, morbific diseases continue to be health risk in all populations (Jacobsen,p. 1). It is also seeming(a) that the Socioeconomic status (SES) of Sierra Leone has compete a major role in the cause and prevention of this cholera epidemic. Like Dr. Alemu mentioned in the article, an outbreak like this is a major crisis for a country with a fragile health system convalescent from several years of conflict (Health topicsCholera in Sierra Leone the case study of an outbreak World Health Organization, family 2012). But looking at the twinkling(prenominal) side, Dr Eugene Lam, epidemic intelligence service ships officer from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USA) work for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative,states that Messages about safe drinking water, hand washing and food preparation will not only reduce the cholera infections but also reduce all unconstipated disease, a big killer of children under-five in Sierra Leone (Health topicsCholera in Sierra Leone the case study of an outbreak World Health Organization, kinsfolk 2012). Jacobsen states in the usher in to the textbook If health is a human right, then basic health cathexis and protection from preventable diseases should be in stock(predicate) to all people , regardless of the condition that have made them vulnerable to illness, disability, and untimely death (Jacobsen,preface xi). I only anticipate one day by working together as a planetary community , we can make sure every single human being, irrespective of their socioeconomic status , can strain a state of complete physical, mental and social well- being (Jacobsen). * - - * - References * - Health topicsCholera in Sierra Leone the case study of an outbreak World Health Organization, kinfolk 2012. Retrieved from http//www. who. int/features/2012/cholera_sierra_leone/en/index. html on family 30th,2012. * - National Institute of health ,U. S. National Library of Medicine The Worlds Largest Medical Library,A. D. A. M. Medical Encyclopedia, May 30th 2012 . Retrieved from www. ncbi. nlm. nih. ov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001348/ on September 30th,2012 * - * - Health statistics of Sierra LeoneWorld Health Organization,2012. Retrieved from http//www. who. int/countries/sle/en/index. html on september 30th, 2012 . * - * - Introduction to Global Health, Kathryn H. Jacobsen . * - * - GCH-205-DL2 (FALL 2012), Module 4, Lauren Savaglio.