Infectious Diseases

Lecture from 1.25 was all about communicable ( infectious diseases). It reminded me of the first day of class when Professor Shahi said, "It's a wonder that so many people cram themselves into airplanes with all sorts of germs and bacteria, share the same air for a period of hours, and walk away clean from disease."

I thought of exposure and forces of health three reasons. 1 - immunity from immunizations, 2 - how fortunate enough to live in a sanitary environment, I am to have a high level of health as to be able to fight off foreign diseases, 3 - a pandemic is imminent.

1. Immunizations - those countries and people who can afford immunizations at birth (that aren't weighed down with mercury) typically do benefit by being immune to contracting awful diseases like smallpox.
2. Rich vs. Poor - "...diseases hide among the poor." That's why Malaria is in S. Africa and not in the USA. The USA has paid for land reform eliminating swamp lands, and curing the people from the disease - so mosquito's can't pass it along.
3. most infectious diseases are first introduced to a community kills a handful of people... and a few years later the disease returns as a fiercely fatal pandemic (i.e. the Spanish plague). It kind of makes us think that after SARS in 2003/2004 we were introduced to this corona virus, and since then we as a global community should be humming the jeopardy tune and waiting around for the avian flu to return in a similarly horrid manner.

The final point I have to make is that, "neglected diseases" affect as many individuals worldwide in mortality and morbidity as AIDS, for which there is AIDS day, numerous AIDS foundations, walks and charitable ideas; but the neglected diseases such as elephantitis are typically not on the public health officials' agenda.

RevolutionHealth.com

In years past, people could search on www.webmd.com for free medical information, but there's an article about Steven Case, an entreprenur, who is waging that consumers will pay up to $100 annually for premium health services on the new website: www.RevolutionHealth.com. He is claiming to "remake" the health care system by including interactive chats, information, storing and maintaining personal health records (i.e. a one stop shop). Here is a link to the article.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116943004976583309-search.html?KEYWORDS=revolution+health&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month

Lecture 1.18.07 - Globalization, Development and Health

My opinion on 2 topics raised… Controversy between the expanding pie vs. the fixed pie – is there an end point to our resources? I believe not – is there an end to how much someone can smile, no way – if you wanna smile you’ll find a way, if we want everyone to be healthy - we will find a way. Also, I loved it when Professor Shahi said, "a true way to measure the test of human development is to look at the wealthiest children and the poorest children in a region – and if both have a chance to survive – then the society has a chance to thrive" (but I guess this only is possible in communist societies where everyone is given the same opportunities to flourish).

Globalization is a controversial topic because overall its implications are beneficial to those who follow suit with emerging trends, but it can also be detrimental to those who aren’t able to broaden their horizons and go global. The point to take away from this lesson was that we, as members in the public health profession cannot be negligent to addressing all side effects of globalization (inequalities in sanitation, life expectancy, access to healthcare, safety). We must acknowledge and create policies so that adopting globalization can go smoothly. It will be essential to continue to globally research and respect the benefits of globalization for as long as we can work together as a world to be healthy and safe together.

https://blackboard.usc.edu/courses/1/20071_pm_565_41128/content/_267071_1/Emerging%20Trends%20in%20Health%20slides%202.ppt?bsession=200346&bsession_str=session_id=200346,user_id_pk1=2023,user_id_sos_id_pk2=1,one_time_token=#263,8,The North/South; Rich/Poor Divides

Our class discussions this week were very interesting because we talked about how globalization can bring about two types of implications when introduced to a society. It can first bring about change in a positive manner and this happens … so long as the people “ride the wave,” welcoming and adjusting to new ideals such as innovations in technology like industrialization with factories. The other way globalization affects people is negatively. This happens when resisting change causes people to become marginalized in ways both socio-economically, politically and they then suffer. This is an issue is when a society has both innovators and laggards within the same boundaries. A gap evolves to separate the innovators from the laggards which creates a rich/ poor, urban/rural, north/south divide – which affects everything from human development to safety and security, or as Dr. Shahi said, “The haves, and the have-nots.”

Great Article 1.16.07

I read the most amazing article in the WSJ this morning it's about the public health care system in China. It's called, "In China, Preventative Medicine Pits Doctor Against System" by Andrew Browne.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116891144192977210.html?mod=hps_us_pageone

The article talks about how in Dr. Hsu, provides free medical advice on, "how to avoid high blood pressure," and he also dispenses cheaper medications (i.e. generic drugs vs. brand name options), which has made him an outcast among physicians and medical professionals in China. The bottom line as the article stated, Dr. Hsu is bad for business profits because encouraging prevention lowers the number of sick people needing medical attention and expensive drug prescriptions.

Health care in China is privatized, and the most startling statistic mentioned is that 2/3 of the 1.3 billion population have no health insurance and must pay up front for treatment, and if they cannot, the hospitals refuse treatment. The article mentions that those who have money have the opportunity to live, but those without money, "wait to die." Forty-three percent of hospital patients in 2003 discharged themselves early, against medical advice, and 2/3 of them because they had no more money, based on findings from the Chinese Health Ministry. In one instance a three or four year-old boy was rushed into a hospital suffering from the toxic effects of pesticide poisioning. Doctors told the man to get more cash before they would help the child, so he left to get the money and when he returned to the hospital it was too late, the child had already died. This incident angered some 2,000 people who mobbed the hospital.

In this country, the physician income is comparable to the average income, but phyisicans can make multiple times their salary as they order more numbers of expensive tests per patient: such as cat scans, pace makers and laser surgeries - the more ordered the more cash flow it added to their salaries.

Readings after Lecture 1.11

Week 1 - Global Health Issues
I've done the readings and watched the videos for weeks one and two, and I've began to reassess the way that I perceive the world as a westerner, similar to Professor Hans Rosling suggested, "Us as the western world, and them as the third world."

I have to agree that I have always believed that there are greater disparities between the two worlds. In all actuality there is such a spectrum of health disparities within each country that there is no telltale way to homogenize health descriptions of a country or region becuase the best health care of the third world may be better than the worst care of the western world.

In regards to the 8 Millenium Developed Goals by 2015 all I can say is wow, what an ideal. The MDGS 8 ideals, see pitcure above. I feel so synical to think that none of these will be acheived - but I have a hard time believing that our nation will contribute to these goals internationally when all our politians in DC seem to be focused on is winning a war that we are under staffed, ill-equipped to win - and yet determined to stay the course for however long stubborness guides the way. As some are calling it, the worst foreign-policy blunder since the Vietnam War.

Week 2 - Does Inequality Matter?
Plato once said, “There should exist among the citizens neither extreme poverty nor again excessive wealth”, he wrote, “for both are productive of great evil,” a very biased opinion at inequality... if I don't say so myself. However, there is a substantial amount of evidence to support this statement - in the areas of wealth, religion, gender, ethnicity. As case examples Pakistan and their unequal gener issues along with their coinciding decreased economic growth; as well as Bolivia and Ecuador's conflict about natural resources between wealthy and the poor indigenous people and overall decreased outputs.

I really agreed with the idea that there is a strong correlation between poverty and inequality. One really cool thing that I liked from one reading was about comparing the average income of the poorest 20% of the people, as a way to compare statistics as opposed to comparing average income of countries.

The video looking at Taiwan, Vietnam and Kenya was very eye opening. I didn't realize how important globalization is to benefitting the economy and living conditions. I am very impressed at how far Taiwan has come, and I found it very unique that the Kenyans said that when they needed food during drought - no food was aided, but when they were harvesting wheat - wheat was imported with an overabundance and market competition. Here's the video link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5633239795464137680&q=globalization&hl=en

The second video posed an issue, why do we only think about health or safety when it is challenged."
Most shocking, was the part about the Marshall Islands have endured with the 67 bombs... and their aftermath of harming the regional inhabitants. Here's the video link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2366159791400068176&q=globalization&hl=en

Lecture 1.11.07

The first course lecture on Thursday 1.11.07 demostrated a refreshing and innovative approach to the master public health program as well as to public health.

A few things were exciting to listen to... one was that my final could potentially get published as long as the paper is good (i.e. a b+ or better). That's exciting news, although it was funny to hear that the last class who published a book brought in about $80 in profit.

I liked the philosophical quotes he included in lecture they were motivational and philosophical. "The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Prevent it," Alan Kay. They reminded me of the movie, "The Secret," which is about the laws of attraction and the present being a result of past efforts and thinking, and present efforts will show tomorrow.

Gurinder, presented a slide which predicted leading causes of death in the year 2020 internationally. As of 1990 the top three causes of death were: lower respiratory infections, diarrheal disease, and conditions arising from perinatal care. In 2020, the top three causes will be heart disease, major depression, and ironically road traffic accidents (lol - I can attest to poor drivers in LA).

The current global statistics he presented were alarming, but I can't say they were new about the trends in increasing heart attacks, obesity (30% of the population in 2000, up from 12% in 1960) and chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes, and away from influenzas and diarreal deaths.

My favorite slide what entitled "evolution of humankind, it this our future..." which showed the evolution of mankind starting as homosapiens and ending in overweight poorly postured fools.