Unit 7 project Jennifer

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The purpose of this paper is to address a looming health issue in the society. There are many issues that communities face on a daily basis. The paper will select an issue that poses as a risk to the sustainability of a selected country. The health issue in this case is bases on the guinea worm in India. The paper places emphasis on the observation of general health and hygiene in the community so as to completely eradicate this issue.

The goal is to research on the possible methods of completely eradicating the guinea worm related diseases in affected areas. One of the ways of achieving this goal is to create awareness in and outside the communities that face this problem (Stock, 2004). One of the challenges expected in the research is addressing the cultural aspects of the communities in question. Changing the perception and attitude of the community is ideal. This makes affected persons adapt healthy ways of living, which is contrary to their cultural norms and habits (Bradshaw, Healey, & Smith, 2001).

The guinea worm disease continues to receive a minimal amount of awareness by the world as a whole. Scientifically known as Dracunculiasis, the disease is caused by an infection of the guinea worm. The disease is classified under tropical diseases due to the ability of the worm to withstand tropical conditions. The main cause of this disease is credited to drinking water that contains the water flea (Tubaikh, 2010). The flea is on several occasions affected by the guinea worm which cannot be seen by the naked eye. The disease is diagnosed through the observation of painful blisters present in the skin. The blisters represent the internal infection of larvae in the human body. The peak of the condition is reached when a fully matured worm protrudes out of the skin of an affected person. The larvae can grow to the length of up the length of 3 feet making it a danger to the health of affected communities (Kosoko-Lasaki, Cook, & O’Brien, 2009).

The only way of managing this condition is by training affected communities about their lifestyles in terms of hygiene. People should be encouraged to invest in water treatments such as boiling, filtering and disinfecting water. Apart from this, it is advisable to stay away from swampy areas that act as habitats to these organisms (Warrell, 2005). The only form of treatment is to have the worm surgically removed from the skin of the affected person. This is not an alternative tp places that are underdeveloped and live under the poverty line. Such persons wait for a period of up to 4 months so that they can pull the mature worm out of the skin with the help of a sharp object (Hirway, Kashyap, Shah, & Centre for Development Alternatives :Ahmadābād, India, 2002).

The targeted audience consists of health officials in the health industry. Most of these people are involved in politics, health organizations and medical practitioners. The health issue is chosen for this audience due to their influence in the industry. One of the causes for the continued spiraling of this disease is the ignorance that we have as a community. Having such an audience assists people who are situated in different parts of the world. There are several communities that do not have the capability of creating awareness of their conditions. Presenting research on this issue thus acts as a bridge between the affected communities and the influential audience (Kebede-Francis, 2011).

My modalities in this case are represented by leaflets, school based materials, and public service announcements. Modalities are essential to get the message out to the general public. I selected the following modalities due to the advantages that they add to my research work. The first one is the use of leaflets. Leaflets are small printouts that contain information about a certain issues or topics of discussion. The leaflets will contain a brief explanation of the issues that the community is dealing with. This will guide the recipient of the information who will in turn, become up to date with the health issue. Another method that will assist in the research is the use of public service announcements. This method is more effective due to the number of people it can reach (Lundy, & Janes, 2009).

The announcements will involve key facts about the guinea worm disease. Such facts will complement the leaflets by offering information about the significance on the research topic. Last but not least is the use of school based materials. The research will place emphasis on books that write on health in affected areas. The research will further use alternative sources such as the internet so as to derive extra information of the area in question and the health issue they face. The research will then have a conclusive report on the topics researched. This will contain a complete and concise paper on the, focus of the paper, objective, issues to be tackled and recommendations on the way forward. The use of school based materials is thus essential for compiling a report that can be distributed to interested parties.

References

Bradshaw, Y. W., Healey, J. F., & Smith, R. (2001). Sociology for a new century. Boston: Pine Forge Press.

Hirway, I., Kashyap, S. P., Shah, A., & Centre for Development Alternatives (Ahmadābād, India). (2002). Dynamics of development in Gujarat. New Delhi: Concept Pub. Co.

Kebede-Francis, E. (2011). Global health disparities: Closing the gap through good governance. Sudbury, Mass: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Kosoko-Lasaki, S., Cook, C. T., & O’Brien, R. L. (2009). Cultural proficiency in addressing health disparities. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Lundy, K. S., & Janes, S. (2009). Community health nursing: Caring for the public’s health. Boston: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Stock, R. F. (2004). Africa south of the Sahara: A geographical interpretation. New York: Guilford Press

Tubaikh, J. A. (2010). Internal medicine: An illustrated radiological guide. Berlin: Springer.

Warrell, D. A. (2005). Sections 1 – 10. Oxford [u.a.: Oxford Univ. Press.