Prevention and Treatment Consequences of Infectious Disease

Efficient infection management in the struggle against infectious diseases has always been an intricate challenge, despite the significant success realized in this field. Infectious diseases are among the primary source of mortality and morbidity and are a principal stressor on government budgets. Communicable diseases epidemic, and natural calamities characterize worldwide hindrances to the accomplishment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Policymakers and health officials need to acknowledge that disasters do not increase infectious diseases and that the primary cause of death in the consequences of a calamity is non-contagious. Policymakers and health officials ought to acknowledge that dead bodies do not cause epidemics (Gersovitz, 2009). Contagious disease epidemic are resultant consequences that arise from the triggering of the risk factors of illness.

In every category of contagious disease, prevention and treatment depend on severing the transmission paths. A number of infectious diseases may be eradicated in the foreseeable future while others are at present manageable as a consequence of efficient public health systems. It is essential to mention that, interventions like immunization programs on a global scale are critical factors in this regard. Realizing freedom from transmittable disease is one of the primary concerns in humanity, although breaking the chains that confine several communities to communicable infections is an increasingly intricate task. The last recorded occurrence of smallpox was in essence a significant stride towards realizing global freedom from transmissible diseases. The replication of such an accomplishment has not been realized owing to logistical issues and a series of incidents that have occurred in contemporary times, rather than deficiencies in information or equipment (Bartholomew, 2009).

On a global perspective, poverty is one of the contributing factors that hinder success in the fight against transmittable diseases. This means that of millions of people around the world are confined by their conditions of living to the menace of transmissible diseases. Studies demonstrate that over 20% of the global population survives in utter poverty, where malnutrition affects over 30% of all the children, and 50% of the global population have inadequate access to vital medication. The mounting population growth globally, in tandem with rapid urbanization, means that millions of people who inhabit cities are obligated to live in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. In many cities, there is a shortage of hygienic water and adequate sanitation, which consequently present a hotbed for contagious disease (Anderson, 2011).

Studies demonstrate that overcrowding leads to increased risk of respiratory diseases, as well as, diseases that are transmittable through contact with pathogens that may be found in food and water. Due to the economic and social concerns that affect several countries, health systems, which should provide protection against transmittable disease have, in several cases, crumbled or are absent. The immediate outcome of this scenario is a re-emergence of diseases that were previously controlled or ought to be controllable given more than enough resources (Bartholomew, 2009).

Controlling infectious diseases remains a worldwide concern, where the economic and social costs of transmissible diseases are a source of significant burden to communities. The global fight against transmittable diseases seems to be on the threshold of success in recent times, but there has been the emergence of new transmissible diseases and the re-emergence of old ones in several parts of the world. These incidents have triggered a new health catastrophe which threatens to destroy the accomplishments that have been made so far, in regard to the fight against transmissible diseases.

References

Anderson, M. (2011). Contagious Diseases in Humans. Biological Dynamics Journal, 3, 15-21.

Bartholomew, D. (2009). Managing Infectious Diseases. Nursing Management Journal, 31, 4-9. Gersovitz, F. (2009). The Economical Control of Communicable Diseases. Washington, DC: American Nurses Publishing.