Assignment: Global Health Concerns Case

Assignment: Global Health Concerns Case

Assignment: Global Health Concerns Case

Week 8 discussion Future Directions Reflect on what you have learned in this course. What future concerns are likely to impact public health? How do you see global health concerns impacting your community? How can you apply what you have learned in this course to your current practice?Global health is the understanding of health care in an international and interdisciplinary context. It includes the study, research, and practice of medicine with a focus on improving health and health care equity for populations worldwide. Global health initiatives take into account both medical and non-medical disciplines, such as epidemiology, sociology, economic disparities, public policy, environmental factors, cultural studies, etc.

One of the most prominent agencies focused on advancing global health is the  (WHO), but this agency is not alone. Researchers and leaders in a variety of fields are spearheading initiatives that form alliances between historically disassociated fields.

Dr. Calum Macpherson, vice provost for international program development at St. George’s University, describes the The  as the convergence of human, animal, and ecosystem health.

“Each of these practices are inextricably connected,” Macpherson explains. “By learning from each other and pooling resources, great progress can be made for the benefit of human and animal kind.”

So what are the biggest challenges confronting organizations like WHO and the One Health One Medicine Initiative? The list goes on and on, but some epitomize the breadth and depth of this complex field.

1. PANDEMICS

Simply put, pandemics are global disease outbreaks. Examples of pandemics include HIV, influenza, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Ebola, and other viral threats that reflect our vulnerability to widespread diseases – many of which originate in animals.

Every year there are newly emerging pandemic threats that cannot be solved, and diagnosing symptoms may only occur after an individual is already infected. These issues must be cut off at the source by addressing important areas like health education, responsible agricultural practices, and the issues that cause viruses to spread.

2. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

Growing concerns about the environment center on climate change and air pollution. But how will these challenges directly affect the health of the human population? In most cases, the answer lies in water sources and sanitation.

When basic survival needs are disrupted by devastating storms, flooding, droughts, and air pollution, diseases are more easily spread across large groups of people. The immediate solution is to provide resources like bottled water, sanitation technology and education, but global health must also focus on the prevention of environmental challenges in the first place.

“Climate change is thought by many global health experts to be the greatest threat to human health,” Macpherson says. “Global policies to mitigate mankind’s contribution to climate change are gaining traction.”

He points to legislation in China, India, the US, and many European countries as evidence of this. They are introducing policies that regulate current vehicle use and individual household energy consumption on a large scale while encouraging industry progress toward environmentally conscious practices.

“Such changes will have profound health benefits for those who live in urban centers, which account for more than 50 percent of the world’s population,” Macpherson explains. “[They] cannot be implemented soon enough.”