by Timou

Created on: July 03, 2009   Last Updated: July 06, 2009

One cannot adequately discuss the issues facing global health without first recognizing that different regions face different health and medical challenges. What raises the most concern amongst global citizens are health issues that bring about high mortality, especially in vulnerable populations.

By this, I refer to diseases that plague developing countries, developmental illnesses that we in the developed world treat as mere inconveniences, but can wreak havoc on the well-being of children and the elderly if not treated promptly.

The real injustice lies in the fact that most of these deaths could have been avoided with cheap medical intervention that those living below the poverty line do not have access to.

Let me illustrate with a few statistics. According to statistics from the World Health Organization (2005), over 2 million children die each year due to dehydration and complications arising from diarrhea, with over 99% of all deaths occurring in developing countries, particularly in sub-saharan Africa. The saddest news is that prompting feeding the ill child with oral rehydration salts and zinc mixtures reduces the chance of death or severe complications to virtually zero, and the cost of such treatment costs less than a typical candy bar. Yet such treatment remains woefully out of reach to places that have poor sanitation and suffer from the highest rates of diarrhea deaths in children.

What then can be done? Governments across the world need to commit themselves towards alleviating the medical plight of poor communities. In areas that developed nations already have the capacity to care for their own people, medical professionals should impart their knowledge to their counterparts in poorer nations.

For example, 99% of neonatal deaths occur in low-income countries, yet 99% of the research done on neonatal deaths is focused on the 1% of deaths that occur in rich countries. I believe this is a fraudulent waste of precious resources that could be diverted to better use in reducing child mortality and addressing the most pressing health concerns facing the world.

Skeptics question whether developed nations can effectively render help. The answer is a resounding yes, and there are plenty of success stories to back my claim. The Measles Initiative was a drive to eradicate measles in communities across Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, and was led by the American Red Cross, the Unite Nations Foundation, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Each vaccination cost less than one dollar, but this bold initiative has been wildly successful. By 2007, measles deaths had fallen by 74% globally, with deaths in Africa falling by 89% as compared to 2000 statistics.

The Measles Initiative is but one example of how simple solutions can make a world of difference to the lives of those suffering from deadly health challenges, if only the developed world can be committed to the universal cause of providing healthcare to all mankind and promoting global health.

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