Archive for category: Disease

Information and news about disease category

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The Most Common Diseases in the UAE Stem from Obesity

Common Diseases in the UAEThe United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a country most recently known for its fashion malls, luxurious lifestyle and the presence of Arab royalty.  However, the country is now also becoming known for its rate of obesity. According to a report by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, more than half of the population—roughly 66 percent of men and 60 percent of women—are considered overweight or obese. That is double the world average. Therefore, it is not unfair to state that the majority of the common diseases in the UAE are a result of these high obesity rates.

The roots of these rates are being studied to find solutions. Dr. Adbulrahman O Musaiger, the director of the Environmental and Biological Program at the Bahrain Center for Studies and Research has some insight. He stated that “over recent years, there has been a steady increase in food-energy consumption, and a lack of physical exercise is also apparent.” This has led to a jump in rates of obesity in the past decade. It is important to note here that this is a recent issue.

In addition to adults being at-risk, there has also been an increase in the prevalence of the obesity in children. The study “Increasing Obesity Rates in School Children in the United Arab Emirates” found that 40 percent of schoolchildren were overweight and a further 24.4 percent were obese.

As a result, common diseases in the UAE—in addition to obesity—include diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This increase in disease leads to some extra expenses for the UAE’s Ministry of Health. Is it estimated that the problem of obesity and diseases associated with it annually costs a whopping $56 billion.

Experts are urging that the government and citizens of the UAE quell issues of obesity through a change in diet and exercise. These changes include labeling contents of food more clearly and encouraging family doctors to offer health advice to people who suffer from obesity.

Richard Dobbs, director of the McKinsey Global Institute, suggested that “urban planning and building design need to be worked upon.” This way, staircases can be more accessible than they currently are. With small everyday changes, it is possible to bring the frequency of obesity down in the UAE.

– Sydney Roeder

Photo: Google

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Solutions for Common Diseases in Belarus

Common Diseases in BelarusBelarus is a small country located directly west of Russia. The country was a former member of the Soviet Union and is not a member of the European Union. Today, Belarus is undemocratically ruled by President Alexander Lukashenko and is heavily dependent on Russia.

The population of Belarus is 9.5 million, just smaller than the population of North Carolina. The life expectancy for men is 75 years, while the life expectancy for women is 83 years. As a result of common diseases in Belarus, however, the actual average ages at death for men and women are significantly lower than the life expectancy: 65 for men and 77 for women.

The top 10 causes of death in Belarus are noncommunicable diseases or injuries, which is common for a developed country. Cardiovascular diseases and cancer are by far the most common causes of death in Belarus. Cardiovascular diseases account for 61 percent of death, and cancer accounts for 14.7 percent.

The most common cause of death is ischemic heart disease. In 2013, ischemic heart disease killed about 653 people for every 100,000 people in Belarus. The mortality rate for ischemic heart disease in Belarus has increased 61 percent since 1990. The number of premature deaths caused by ischemic heart disease in Belarus is the highest of any Eastern European country.

While communicable diseases are not a main cause of death in Belarus, the country has an anomalous relationship with tuberculosis. According to the World Health Organization, Belarus had the highest recorded incidence of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. Additionally, the mortality rate for tuberculosis has increased by 80 percent since 1990, and the mortality rate for HIV/AIDS has increased by 16336 percent since 1990.

The most common risk factors for disease in Belarus are mostly either behavioral or metabolic. Behavioral risk factors include poor diet, alcohol and drug use and tobacco smoke. Metabolic risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high body mass index (BMI). The highest environmental risk is air pollution.The three most common risk factors for cardiovascular disease in Belarus are poor diet, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Smoking is at least partially responsible for 30 percent of cancer cases in Belarus, making smoking the most common cause of cancer. Additionally, the radiation from the Chernobyl accident in neighboring Ukraine in 1986 has resulted in a dramatic increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer. The incidence of thyroid cancer was very prevalent among children and teenagers living in the most affected areas.

The government of Belarus is actively trying to alleviate these causes of death. In fact, Ministry of Health has worked out a national program devoted to the prevention of noncommunicable diseases. This program, titled “Health of the Nation and the demographic security of the Republic of Belarus” will take a cross-sectoral approach to strengthening population health, reducing premature death and reducing disability attributed to noncommunicable diseases.

Furthermore, the government has pledged thirty percent of Belarus’s healthcare budget to fighting cancer. Regarding tuberculosis, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided support to Belarus that gave them the resources to revise national tuberculosis guidelines and policies.

While the statistics surrounding common diseases in Belarus and their mortality rates are concerning, there are still positives. Lifestyle changes can easily reduce most risk factors for common diseases in Belarus. The government is investing in healthcare and receiving support from USAID. Belarus will hopefully continue to see positive trends in the prevention and reduction of common diseases.

– Christiana Lano

Photo: Flickr

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Five Common Diseases in Spain

Diseases in SpainLocated on the Iberian Peninsula, Spain has a population of 46.56 million. Similar to patterns around the world, morbidity and disability in Spain are increasingly caused by non-communicable diseases. Below are five common diseases in Spain.

  1. Cardiovascular Disease
    Cardiovascular disease is responsible for 33 percent of deaths in Spain. Risk factors include smoking, obesity, lack of exercise, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. In Spain, about 23.9 percent of adults and 21.7 percent of youth smoke. About 26.6 percent of Spaniards are obese.
  2. Neoplasms
    Following world trends, the number of cancer cases in Spain increased 15 percent between 2012 and 2015. The most common types of cancer in Spain are bowel cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer and bladder cancer. Respectively, every year there are 41,000, 33,000, 28,000, 27,000 and 21,000 new cases. It is estimated that about one-third of these cases can be prevented through improved lifestyle choices such as reducing alcohol and tobacco consumption, increasing cancer screenings and decreasing obesity rates.
  3. Chronic Respiratory Diseases
    Chronic respiratory diseases most common in Spain include asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. About 80,000 adults aged 20 to 44 are diagnosed with asthma every year. Eighty percent of these cases do not result from allergies and instead result from lung disorders developed from chewing and smoking tobacco, obesity, air pollution, respiratory infections suffered during childhood, genetics and high risk occupations. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) causes 18,000 deaths per year in Spain or about 50 deaths per day. There are about two million people in the country with COPD but the majority go undiagnosed. A main cause of COPD is smoking. About one-third of Spaniards smoke, and 40 to 55 percent continue to smoke following COPD diagnosis. COPD can lead to emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
  4. Mental and Behavioral Disorders
    Mental illnesses are the second most common cause of temporary and permanent leave from work in Spain. Depression is the most prevalent. About five to 10 percent of Spaniards suffer at least one depressive episode in their lives. Depression and other mental health illnesses have high social impacts because of missed work, costs, morbidity and care.
  5. Alzheimer’s Disease
    In Spain, more than 800,000 people live with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia. Risk factors include age, genetics, mild cognitive impairment and traumatic brain injury. Studies also suggest that education may be linked to Alzheimer’s as well as cardiovascular disease. Between 2005 and 2015, the death rate due to Alzheimer’s increased by 11.9 percent.

Certain cases of the above diseases in Spain can be prevented. For example, smoking is a prevalent cause of non-communicable diseases such as asthma, COPD, cardiovascular disease and lung cancer. Because of this, improving health education in Spain is one way to reduce and prevent these unnecessary medical costs, illnesses and deaths.

– Francesca Montalto

Photo: Pixabay

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The Five Most Common Diseases in the Netherlands

Common Diseases in the NetherlandsThe Netherlands is located in Northwestern Europe and has a population of about 17 million. Non-communicable diseases, like in many other parts of the world, increasingly affect the Dutch and cause about 90 percent of deaths in the country. The following are the most common diseases in the Netherlands.

1. Neoplasms

The Netherlands has the 12th highest rate of cancer in the world, in part due to increased awareness and diagnosis. Thirty-three percent of deaths in the country are due to cancer. Lung cancer is the most prevalent, followed by breast cancer and intestinal cancer. Skin cancer and pancreatic cancer cases also are increasing, and, between 2005 and 2015, the mortality rate of pancreatic cancer increased by 12 percent.

During that same period, the mortality rate of lung cancer, which is especially common because of smoking, increased by six percent. The premature death rates and prevalence of lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and breast cancer are significantly higher in the Netherlands than in similar countries.

2. Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)

CVD causes 29 percent of deaths in the Netherlands. Although the mortality rate of CVD has declined since the second half of the 20th century, the burden remains. Ischemic heart disease is especially crippling to the country. In 2007, it was estimated that about 730,400 people were living with ischemic heart disease.

3. Chronic Respiratory Diseases

Chronic respiratory diseases cause six percent of deaths. Lung diseases in the Netherlands are especially prevalent because of the high percentage of smokers. About 28 percent of people in the country smoke. Because of this, there are roughly 23,000 lung related deaths per year and over one million lung patients.

In addition to lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is also prevalent in the county. Between 2005 and 2015, the mortality rate of COPD increased by 9.5 percent. The premature death rate is significantly higher in the Netherlands compared to similar countries. COPD can lead to emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

4. Mental and Behavioral Disorders

Mental health is important to recognize in the Netherlands. Depressive disorders are a leading cause of death and disability in the country. In 2014, about eight percent of the population claimed to be suffering from depression, accounting for more than one million people.

5. Alzheimer’s Disease

Dementia affects 1.47 percent of the Dutch population. In 2012, about 245,568 people lived with dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is especially common as the mortality rate increased by 18.6 percent between 2005 and 2015. Risk factors of Alzheimer’s include age, genetics, traumatic brain injury and mild cognitive impairment. Research also suggests that cardiovascular disease and education level may be linked to the disease.

Poor lifestyle choices are commonly associated to many of these diseases. Smoking, for example, is a major risk factor and something that should be recognized when addressing rates of diseases such as lung cancer and COPD. Improving health education is one step in helping decrease the rates of these common diseases in the Netherlands.

– Francesca Montalto

Photo: Flickr

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10 Important Facts to Know About Asian H7N9

Asian H7N9Mainland China is in the midst of yet another outbreak of the Asian Lineage Avian Influenza A Virus, or Asian H7N9, and both the Chinese national government and several international organizations are scrambling to take a hold of the situation.

This is the fifth epidemic outbreak of Asian H7N9 since the first case of the virus was reported in March 2013. The present epidemic cycle is its largest epidemic to date: the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that, as of July 19, 2017, 756 human infections from Asian H7N9 have been reported since the epidemic’s onset in March. The most recent report brings the total number of confirmed Asian H7N9 infections to 1,554, where at least 40 percent of afflicted persons died due to consequent health complications.

While both local and international health authorities refute the idea of an Asian H7N9 pandemic and cite that there is no strong evidence that would constitute a global outbreak, it is wise for citizens to be aware of the evolving situation regarding the virus. Here are ten things to know about the virus:

  1. Most human infections from avian influenza viruses (including Asian H7N9) have occurred after close contact with infected birds, whether alive or dead, and/or exposure to environments that have been contaminated by the virus (e.g. live poultry markets).
  2. A person can most commonly contract the virus from touching their eyes, nose or mouth after coming into contact with the feces or mucus of infected birds. Poultry infected with the H7N9 virus typically do not show nor experience any signs or symptoms that demonstrate illness.
  3. On the onset, symptoms of infection start with a high fever and cough. Within a matter of days, several health complications may start to surface. Most cases of death due to Asian H7N9 progressed to very serious illnesses such as severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), septic shock and multi-organ failure, leading to death.
  4. To date, there is no strong evidence for person-to-person spread of the virus. Cases that were reported where the virus appeared to have been transferred from person to person occurred in small clusters (around seven percent of cases). Such cases were also classified as likely limited, non-sustained person-to-person infection, meaning that the virus was only passed down from the animal host to a caretaker and a close contact of that person.
  5. Victims of Asian H7N9 stretch from all age groups and genders, but most cases confirmed by the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China (NHFPC) involve middle-aged men from the ages of 45 to 50.
  6. Almost all infections occurred because of contact or exposure to the virus, with the exception of a 33-year-old female from Wenshan, Yunnan province in China, who local authorities said had no apparent exposure or had no close contact with infected poultry.
  7. Most cases were said to have transpired in Eastern China, but cases have also been reported in Northwestern China, as well as in other countries such as Taiwan, Malaysia and Canada. The majority of cases reported in countries outside of China occurred among people who had traveled to mainland China before becoming ill.
  8. At the moment, Asian H7N9 has not been detected in the United States. However, in March 2017, federal animal health officials confirmed that a highly pathogenic H7N9 avian flu outbreak struck two farms in Lincoln County, Tennessee. The outbreak occurred at two commercial breeder flocks within three kilometers away from each other, one of them containing around 55,000 birds. However, the H7N9 virus that afflicted this American livestock was not related to Asian H7N9, as all gene segments from genetic tests conducted related the former to North American wild bird lineages.
  9. The current risk to public health is low; however, the pandemic potential of the virus is alarming, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Additionally, the Influenza Risk Assessment Tool (IRAT) rated Asian H7N9 as having the greatest potential to cause a pandemic and potentially posing the greatest risk to severely impact public health.
  10. There is currently no publicly available vaccine to protect against the H7N9 virus. However, there are medicines available to treat illnesses associated with the virus. The CDC recommends oral oseltamivir (Tamiflu), inhaled zanamivir (Relenza) and intravenous peramivir (Rapivab) for treatment of H7N9 virus infection.

The WHO advises travelers to countries with known outbreaks of avian influenza to avoid poultry farms, contact with animals in live poultry markets and to refrain from entering areas where poultry is slaughtered whenever possible. It also reminds tourists in these areas to constantly wash their hands with soap and water and to follow good food and hygiene practices.

– Bella Suansing

Photo: Google

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Most Common Diseases in Ireland are Non-Communicable

Common Diseases in Ireland Non-Communicable
With a population of 4.773 million, Ireland is an island country located west of Great Britain. Like in many other developed countries, noncommunicable diseases top the list of leading causes of death and disability. Discussed below are the common diseases in Ireland and their implications.

 

4 Most Common Diseases in Ireland

 

Cardiovascular and Respiratory Diseases
Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death in the country, and, in 2012, it was associated with eight percent of all fatalities. Heart attacks, strokes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) together make up another 16 percent of all fatalities. Eighty percent of these deaths, however, are preventable with increased awareness and prevention efforts. The Irish Heart Foundation recommends that citizens stop smoking, improve eating habits, including consuming more fruits and vegetables, increase exercise to at least 30 minutes five times per week and attend regular physical check-ups for blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

Cancer
Thirty percent of all deaths in Ireland are associated with cancer, the second most common killer in the country. There are over 9,000 deaths per year in Ireland that stem from cancer. The most common cancers are lung, breast, colon, prostate and skin. Lung cancer alone is the third leading cause of death, and, in 2012, was responsible for the deaths of 1,801 people, six percent of all fatalities. Breast cancer and colon cancer combined cause another four percent of total fatalities. The Irish Cancer Society wants people to be aware that four out of ten cancers can be prevented through better lifestyle choices such as not smoking, eating healthier, monitoring weight, watching alcohol intake and exercising.

Mental Health Disorders
Self-harm is another leading cause of death in the country. Depression, which is often connected to suicide, is a common mental health disorder in Ireland. It is estimated that at least one in five people will suffer from depression in their lifetime. Ireland is fourth in the world for suicide rates of young men ages 18 to 24, which may, in part, be due to the recent recession. Awareness and response are key to fighting depression and suicide rates in the country. There are many depression and mental health organizations in Ireland such as The Samaritans and Aware.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
Every year, about 4,000 new cases of dementia are identified in Ireland. There are about 47,744 people in Ireland living with dementia, 30,359 of which are women and 17,385 of which are men. This number is expected to drastically increase over the next few decades due to population aging. A big problem is the lack of awareness and knowledge about the diseases as well as the stigma surrounding them. For example, people often believe that memory loss is a natural part of aging, although this may not be true. Better awareness and recognition of these diseases in Ireland can increase the support available for patients. To help ensure proper representation, in 2013, the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland established the Irish Dementia Working Group to guarantee involvement with dementia patients and their families and to influence necessary public policy.

Because the majority of common diseases in Ireland are noncommunicable, awareness and education are key factors to help to best represent current patients and to help prevent future diagnosis. Making better and healthier lifestyle choices are especially important to help prevent and fight these diseases.

– Francesca Montalto

Photo: Flickr

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Common Diseases in Serbia

Diseases in SerbiaThe landlocked Republic of Serbia has made significant progress in implementing legislation to make the country safer, from a health standpoint, for its residents. With favorable agricultural conditions and stable governance, the nation has pushed its way past most harmful diseases and is now considered a second-world country. Nevertheless, there are still common diseases in Serbia that prevail, such as cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease and waterborne diseases.

Serbia’s 56 percent mortality rate in 2007 is attributed to cardiovascular disease, making it the number one cause of death. High cholesterol, smoking, lack of exercise and obesity are some of the main factors contributing to the prevalence of the illness. With focused lifestyle changes, the better part of this percentage can be decreased to create a healthier nation. Transitioning into eating organic foods and increasing physical activity are two changes that could help tremendously.

A close second when ranking the common diseases in Serbia is chronic respiratory disease. With a 61.7 percent tobacco exposure rate, this does not come as a surprise. On average, 33.6 percent of the Serbian adult population smokes, thus adding to the likelihood of developing a respiratory-related illness. Nevertheless, this rate has dropped by 6.9 percent over a period of six years, highlighting a significant positive shift.

Waterborne diseases also contribute to a noticeable percentage of diseases in Serbia. The Serbian government has joined forces with the United Nations, and has been implementing other programs to help eradicate this disease. They set water quality targets in 2013 and focuses on small water resources.

Some of the sustainable development goals they have implemented are: SDG 3.3 to combat waterborne disease, SDG 3.9 to decrease the number of deaths and illnesses due to contamination and SDG 6.1 to provide universal access to clean water.

With risk of contamination in rural areas, these programs have mainly centered around those regions. Holistically, Serbia has made tremendous advancements when it comes to the health and safety of its residents. This sturdy base will help ensure that these improvements are maintained.

– Tanvi Wattal

Photo: Google

Preventing Common Diseases in Mali

Common Diseases in MaliWith poor healthcare infrastructure and rampant and severe poverty, Mali is particularly vulnerable to harmful disease outbreaks, reflected in its extremely low life expectancy of only 58 years.

The most common diseases in Mali are ones that are frequently encountered across Sub-Saharan Africa. Combined with the debilitating effects of the country’s civil conflict, these diseases have had devastating consequences on Mali’s population. Efforts to combat these diseases, however, have been long underway – often in concert with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and neighboring countries.

Malaria

As with many African nations, malaria has been a scourge on Mali, and it remains the most prominent cause of death for children under five. Northern Mali is particularly severely affected. Due to the Malian Civil War, which began in 2012, NGOs have severely limited access to Northern Mali and medicine often struggles to reach those desperately in need of it.

Treatment that makes a breakthrough, however, has been wide-ranging and effective. The World Health Organization has reported on the use of Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC), which is now being administered three days per month in particularly hard-hit areas, during the most vulnerable period for young children to develop the disease.

HIV/Aids

As with malaria, Mali’s civil conflict has spurred the spread of diseases; among them is HIV/Aids. Militias displacing the northern population have significantly expanded the population of Southern Mali, where the capital, Bamako, has exploded in size. This increase in population has created fertile conditions for the spread of HIV/Aids. In 2015, an estimated 1.25 percent of adult Malians lived with the disease.

Treatment is restricted by the severe social stigma that surrounds HIV/Aids. Most Malians who are infected are isolated from their communities and many attempt to hide their condition. As a result, treatment has remained mostly focused on mother-to-child transmissions. UNICEF has been at the forefront of ensuring mothers are offered a free voluntary test, with those found needing treatment receiving antiretroviral drugs.

Polio

Despite the political and cultural hurdles, there is a remarkable success story of disease prevention in the country’s recent history: the near-eradication of Polio, once one of the most common diseases in Mali.

In a strange twist of fate, the infrastructure put in place to protect Mali from Ebola at the height of the 2014 outbreak proved essential to taking on Polio. In 2017, Mali is now acting in concert with other African nations in attempting to eradicate the disease, which once proliferated across the continent. A 190,000 vaccinator-strong drive has the capability of immunizing more than 116 million children, among them Malians.

The experiences of dealing with these common diseases in Mali reveal both the pitfalls and breakthroughs that come with attempting to prevent their spread. In some cases, domestic conflict and social mores can inhibit efforts to address the problem. In others, as with Polio, transnational cooperation, and perhaps a little luck, can help bring a once-common disease to the point of near-eradication.

– Jonathan Riddick

Photo: Flickr

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Genetic Diseases in Oman

Genetic Diseases in OmanGenetic diseases are most prevalent among Arabs and have been mainly attributed to consanguinity. In Oman, a Middle Eastern country located on the Arabian Peninsula, the average rate of genetic diseases is between 5.4 to 7 percent in new live births, exceeding the global average of 4.5 percent.

Consanguinity, advanced maternal age and high rates of inherited blood disorders are substantial contributors to genetic disease in Oman. In fact, 3.5 to 7 per 1,000 Omani live births have a genetic blood disorder, and 60 percent of the population has genes for genetic blood disorders. The most common blood disorder in Oman is a G6PD deficiency, with 12 percent of women and 28 percent of men having the G6PD deficiency gene.

More than 300 different genetic diseases in Oman have been identified. The most common are autosomal recessive disorders, which result from inheriting two mutated genes. Examples of autosomal recessive disorders include cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, Tay-Sachs disease and alpha- and beta-thalassemia. Autosomal recessive conditions are a significant cause of handicap, morbidity, and mortality among Omani children.

Though the birth prevalences of most genetic disorders in Oman are unknown, it has been estimated that Down Syndrome (one in 350 live births) and hemoglobin disorders (3.5 to 4.7 in 1,000 live births) are reaching epidemic levels with more than 100 cases per 100,000 live births.

The apparent rise in rates of genetic diseases in Oman is likely more about previously unidentified cases of genetic diseases being diagnosed than about more Omanis being born with genetic disorders. As diagnosis capacity and expertize have improved, the number of diagnosed conditions has grown.

The development of community-based genetic services and the routinization of early detection and diagnosis in Oman have been followed by the gradual reduction in infant and prenatal mortality. Information-based health education has also been implemented in Oman to improve genetic literacy.

Better services for diagnosing and treating disabling conditions will continue to increase the number of people who need assistance with handicapping genetic diseases. Rising disability rates and a higher number of diagnosed conditions are the necessary precursors of progress toward the prevention and reduction of genetic diseases in Oman.

The government has been working to address the need for more accessible, long-term treatment options in Oman. Their current response is primarily focused on the integration of genetic services into the primary health care system. Involvement of the primary health care system will be the basis for more accessible genetic services for the entire Omani population.

– Gabrielle Doran

Photo: Pixabay

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Common Diseases in Mozambique

Common Diseases in MozambiqueMozambique is a country in eastern Africa that suffers from widespread poverty and political instability. As a consequence of the country’s poorly developed economy, tumultuous history and weak institutions, around half of the country lives below the poverty line.

Similar to other poverty-stricken countries around the globe, Mozambique lacks the technological and medicinal resources to provide adequate healthcare to its people. The most common diseases in Mozambique could be alleviated with access to proper nutrition, vaccinations, pharmaceutical drugs or health education.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), some of the most prominent diseases in Mozambique include hepatitis A, malaria, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis B, rabies and yellow fever.

The climate of Mozambique contributes to the proliferation of these diseases. The warm, tropical environment is ideal for disease-spreading insects such as mosquitoes, ticks and fleas. Although insect bites are little more than annoyances for vaccinated, medicated tourists, they can be far more dangerous for the general population of Mozambique. Without the resources to prevent or treat diseases spread through bug bites, the people of Mozambique are constantly at risk of being infected with serious ailments.

In addition to insects, the lack of sanitary regulations encourages the spread of disease in Mozambique. The lack of regulation foods sold by local street vendors leads to the distribution of uncooked or otherwise uncleanly food, which can spread diseases such as diarrhea or even cholera. Furthermore, the CDC advises travelers to only drink bottled water as a result of a significant amount of untreated water.

The most common diseases in Mozambique are not unusual, considering that the country suffers from significant levels of poverty. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that diseases spread by parasitic insects or unsanitary conditions, such as malaria and diarrhea, are common in low-income countries. Furthermore, the WHO asserts that these types of diseases can be avoided or treated with access to proper sanitary standards, health education and medicine.

Mozambique, as well as other low-income countries around the world, disproportionately suffer from rudimentary diseases that can be fought with adequate technology and medicine. Although this revelation speaks volumes about the punishing conditions of poverty, it also shows that most of the common diseases in Mozambique can be mitigated significantly with reasonable global anti-poverty measures.

– Isidro Rafael Santa Maria

Photo: Flickr