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"The first wealth is health."--Ralph Waldo Emerson
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photo credit: www.ipas.org |
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General Information: |
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Burden of Disease Statistics: In 1999, the World Health Organization began keeping statistics for the life expectancy of 191 member countries. Click on a country's name to find the 2000 life expectancy for those living in that country. Very interesting site. Useful also for its information on number of infant and young child deaths.
WHO Health Topics page. Find LOTS of information about diseases and health issues world wide
UC Atlas of Global Inequality.
Women's Health |
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Gender inequities, referring to differing and unequal socio-cultural expectations and treatment of women as compared to men, lead to many of the health disparities experienced by women and their children. A global review of studies in 36 countries found that 10-60% of women who had been married or partnered had been violently abused by an intimate partner at least once in their lifetime.
Gender disparities and gender-based violence extend to rich and poor women and between industrialized and developing countries. However, women in low-resource, refugee or conflict settings, and economically vulnerable circumstances experience higher levels of violence and more routine societal undervaluing of their lives and health.
Beyond the immediate physical consequences of violence, episodes of violence affect women’s future health status. Physical violence often occurs in the presence of emotional and sexual violence. Thus women, who experience partner abuse or sexual assault, have a greater likelihood of reproductive and mental health problems, chronic health conditions, and more negative health behaviors including substance abuse. Research is just beginning to document that violence against women also affects their unborn children and is associated with higher mortality of children under five. From the Global Health Council.
Women's Issues An Edith Hamilton Library page with links to many informative sites
World Women's Rights? An overview of the status of women worldwide.
Health for All Women in the 21st Century: How Do We Get There?
Women's Health.gov. The National Women's Health Information Center.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention. Health Topic: Women's Health.A portal site for women's health issues.
GirlsHealth.gov. An FDA website.
World Health Organization A website with information about health issues worldwide. Find articles not only on various health problems, but also combination problems. For example, you will find pages about HIV and tuberculosis or flu, as well as about each disease by itself.
UN International Women's Day (March 2008)
Under Women Watch, see especially,
Books in the Edith Hamilton Library: These books will be useful for general information about life in these areas of the world
The state of the world's children 2003. New York: UNICEF, c2002. (362.7 S)
Our health, our lives: a revolutionary approach to total health care for women. Hoffman, Eileen (613 H)
East and Southeast Africa. Leibo, Steven A. (Ref 950 E 2005)
Africa. Cutter, Charles H (Ref 960 A 2005)
Canada. Thompson, Wayne C. (Ref 971 C 2005)
Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Shoemaker, M. Wesley. (Ref 947 R 2005)
The Middle East and South Asia. Russell, Malcom B. (Ref 956 M 2005)
AIDS |
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" The AIDS crisis seems overwhelming, with nearly 8,500 people dying every day and another child orphaned every 14 seconds. But we must not turn away from this devastating human tragedy. We must not become complacent. We must continue to speak out and demand action.
The mission …is to mobilize the political will and financial resources needed to slow and ultimately stop the global AIDS crisis, and to reduce its impacts on poor countries hardest hit by the pandemic… combine media outreach and public education with coalition-building and grassroots mobilization in order to raise awareness and inspire activism— all in support of hard-hitting advocacy to implement a comprehensive response to the pandemic." From the Global AIDS Alliance
Books from the Edith Hamilton Library:
AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean, (614.5 A)
HIV and AIDS in Africa. Webb, Douglas (614.5 W)
A generation at risk: the global impact of HIV/AIDS on orphans and vulnerable children. (362.196 G)
Websites:
Council of Women World Leaders
Tuberculosis |
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African women getting Tuberculosis information |
“Tuberculosis is a disease of the disadvantaged. It spreads exponentially in poor countries, with each infected person infecting another dozen or more people every year. It's also a disease that attacks people in the prime of life. It robs them of their health. It threatens their livelihoods. It leaves them vulnerable to discrimination and abuse. It claims the futures of their children, who must leave school to support the family when parents are no longer able to do so” from remarks made by Susan Whelan, Minister for International Cooperation, at The World TB Day Breakfast Ottawa, Ontario March 24, 2003.
From the Web:
10 facts about tuberculosis and women
World Health Day 2005. Make every mother and child count.
UK Coalition of People Living with HIV or AIDS--South Asian Women with HIV and TB
Every minute of every day, somewhere in the world, a woman dies following pregnancy - related complications – 514,000 deaths each year. For every woman who dies, many more suffer disabilities that can affect them for the rest of their lives. The neglect that contributes to the deaths of women also compromises the health and survival of the infants they are carrying and the older children they leave behind…
The overwhelming majority of the more than half a million maternal deaths each year occur in developing countries. In the developed world, the maternal mortality ratio averages around 21 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. By contrast, in developing countries the ratio is 20 times higher, at 440 per 100,000. While these numbers are subject to margins of uncertainty, there is no question that the risk of maternal death is most acute in sub-Saharan Africa and in parts of south-east Asia. In some regions, such as eastern and western Africa, the ratio may be as high as 1,000 deaths per 100,000 live births. In fact, a woman in Africa faces a one in 16 chance of dying from pregnancy-related causes; by contrast, for her sister in the developed countries, the risk is one in 2,500. The discrepancy between these two figures is one of the widest differentials between rich and poor countries, wider even than the gaps in child mortality. By Carla AbouZahr, Senior Advisor, UNAIDS/December 2000.
Websites:
Gendercide Watch: Maternal Mortality
UNFPA Study Finds Maternal Deaths Have Tripled in Iraq
Maternal Mortality: Africa’s Burden
Websites:
Rank, order by country. Infant Mortality rate.
Approximately 300 million people worldwide are affected by malaria and between 1 and 1.5 million people die from it every year. Previously extremely widespread, the malaria is now mainly confined to Africa, Asia and Latin America. The problems of controlling malaria in these countries are aggravated by inadequate health structures and poor socioeconomic conditions. The situation has become even more complex over the last few years with the increase in resistance to the drugs normally used to combat the parasite that causes the disease. From Microbiology at Leicester University.
From the Web:
Malaria Foundation International
The Impact of Malaria, a Leading Cause of Death Worldwide
Differences in access to health care can have far-reaching consequences. Those denied access to basic health care may live shorter and more constrained lives. A dramatic example of this is that inadequate access to health care is thought to be the primary cause of the premature deaths of 100 million "missing women" worldwide. [It has been] estimated (1990) that 100 million more women would be alive today, primarily in China, South Asia and North Africa, if women and girls had equal access to health care and nutrition across the globe. From the UC Atlas of Global Inequality
From the Web:
Coping With Health Care in Developing Countries: Abraham George
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The charities say the scale of the problem is huge: in the last 10 years, diarrhoea has killed more children than the total number of people killed in armed conflict since the second world war. In 1998, war in Africa killed 308,000 people, but diarrhoeal disease killed six times as many. Ill-health is often the lot of those who do not die: children often suffer anaemia and stunted growth because of the parasites they carry. Diseases which thrive in the absence of sanitation and clean water include dysentery, cholera, typhus fever, typhoid, schistosomiasis and trachoma. [Two UK charities] cite the man forever linked with the Indian independence struggle, Mahatma Gandhi, who once said: "Sanitation is more important than independence." From the BBC
From the web:
Providing the world with clean water
Why the world’s taps are running dry
International Year of Water, 2003— Red Cross/Red Crescent. Includes links to many articles about water issues in the third world.
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The world produces enough food to feed everyone. World agriculture produces 17 percent more calories per person today than it did 30 years ago, despite a 70 percent population increase. This is enough to provide everyone in the world with at least 2,720 kilocalories (kcal) per person per day (Food and Agriculture Organization 2002, FAO 1998. The principal problem is that many people in the world do not have sufficient land to grow, or income to purchase, enough food. WorldHunger.org
Kid’s Health. Hunger and Malnutrition
Competing against malnutrition. Concern.org
Books from the Edith Hamilton Library
The gift: a world solution to hunger and poverty. Bradley, Matt (338.1 B)
How the other half dies: the real reasons for world hunger. George, Susan (338.1 G)
Ending hunger: an idea whose time has come. (363.8 E)
An international focus on heart disease and stroke in women is important for many reasons: Heart disease and stroke are already leading causes of death in women in developed countries and will be the leading cause of death in women in poor countries by 2020. The causes of these conditions are known and are essentially the same in rich and poor countries -- and in men and women, with some exceptions. Prevention of heart disease and stroke in women has been neglected, especially in poor countries. The common view that CVD is a men's health problem has overshadowed the recognition of the significance of CVD for women's health. Of the 27 million deaths worldwide in women each year, almost 10 million result from CVD and, of these, two thirds occur in developing countries. From Ruth Bonita, MD. Women, Heart Disease, and Stroke: A Global Perspective
From the Web:
The atlas of heart disease and stroke
Rheumatic Heart Disease in Developing Countries
Chronic disease will kill 35 million in 2005
. . leaders [are] readily adopted improving world mental health as their personal mission, in part because women and children suffer disproportionately from indirect yet tragic links to mental illness. For instance, in several poor nations, where the mental health status of populations is worst, many women head single-parent households. Often these women are not well educated or skilled and are unable to adequately support themselves and their children. Stress from such situations can trigger serious and extensive states of anxiety and depression, among other conditions.
Being unable to afford necessities such as food and medical care compounds the problem. According to the Harvard study, certain mental conditions can be aggravated by malnutrition, which is common to the least affluent nations and evident even in wealthier societies. Moreover, women and children often suffer due to a husband's or father's mental illness or abuse of alcohol or other drugs. Rates of domestic violence in certain low income countries vary from a "low" of 20 percent to a high of 75 percent . From Rosalynn Carter, 1 May 1997. www.cartercenter.org
From the web:
World Federation for Mental Health
Global study finds mental illness widespread
According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, 300 million people suffer from asthma and 255 000 people died of asthma in 2005. Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children. Asthma is not just a public health problem for high income countries: it occurs in all countries regardless of level of development. Over 80% of asthma deaths occurs in low and lower-middle income countries. Asthma deaths will increase by almost 20% in the next 10 years if urgent action is not taken. Asthma is under-diagnosed and under-treated, creating a substantial burden to individuals and families and possibly restricting individuals’ activities for a lifetime.
From the web:
The Lung Association. What is Asthma?
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
NHLBI. Asthma and Physical Activity in the School
Asthma worldwide. From the BBC
Evidence for increase in asthma worldwide
Asthma mortality: the worldwide response. This is dense, but may be used for some country specific information. You may want to ask for help from a teacher to use this source.
Statistics by country for Asthma
From the Edith Hamilton Library;
How it feels to fight for your life. Krementz, Jill (362.19 K.)
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Early intervention and the avoidance or delay of progression to type 2 diabetes is of enormous benefit to patients in terms of increasing life expectancy and quality of life, and potentially in economic terms for society and health-care payers.
To address the growing impact of type 2 diabetes, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Taskforce on Epidemiology and Prevention convened a consensus workshop in 2006. The resulting consensus paper was launched at the 2nd International Congress on Prediabetes and the Metabolic Syndrome in Barcelona in April 2007 and published in the May 2007 issue of Diabetic Medicine. The primary goal of the workshop and the paper is the prevention of type 2 diabetes in both the developed and the developing world.
From the web:
Diabetes: The Center for Disease Control
International Diabetes Foundation
Influenza is a viral infection that affects mainly the nose, throat, bronchi and, occasionally, lungs. Infection usually lasts for about a week, and is characterized by sudden onset of high fever, aching muscles, headache and severe malaise, non-productive cough, sore throat and rhinitis.
The virus is transmitted easily from person to person via droplets and small particles produced when infected people cough or sneeze. Influenza tends to spread rapidly in seasonal epidemics.
Most infected people recover within one to two weeks without requiring medical treatment. However, in the very young, the elderly, and those with other serious medical conditions, infection can lead to severe complications of the underlying condition, pneumonia and death. WHO
From The Edith Hamilton Library
The great influenza: the epic story of the deadliest plague in history. Barry, John M. (614.5 B)
Flu: the story of the great influenza pandemic of 1918 and the search for the virus that caused it. Kolata, Gina Bari. (614.5 K)
Bird flu: a virus of our own hatching. Greger, Michael. (636.5 G)
Measles is an acute, highly communicable rash illness due to a virus transmitted by direct contact with infectious droplets or, less commonly, by airborne spread. The incubation period of measles from exposure to rash onset is generally 14 days (range 7-18) (1). Patients are usually contagious from 4 days before until 4 days after the onset of the rash.
The World Health Organization estimates that more than 20 million individuals are affected each year by measles worldwide (2). As a result of a successful immunization program, measles was declared no longer endemic in the United States in 2000 (3). Since 1997, fewer than 150 cases have been reported annually in the United States. The proportion of importation-associated cases increased from 59% of all reported cases in 1997 to 85% in 2004 (4-6). Approximately half of all imported measles cases occur in U.S. residents returning from visits to foreign countries. Measles remains a common disease in many countries of the world, including some developed countries in Europe and Asia. Centers for Disease Control
Measles is a deadly disease that impacts vulnerable children around the world– many don’t have access to health care.
Measles is a highly contagious viral infection. It is also called rubeola or red measles.
Measles November 2007
From The Edith Hamilton Library
Mapping epidemics: a historical atlas of disease. Hoff, Brent H. (614.4 H)
Vaccine: the controversial story of medicine's greatest lifesaver. Allen, Arthur. (614.47 A)
One of the greatest human accomplishments has been the spectacular improvement in health since 1950. In developing countries, life expectancy has risen from 40 to 65 years, and the chances that a child will survive to the age of five has doubled. In addition to directly improving people's lives, this progress contributes to economic growth. While some of the improvements in health is the result of overall social and economic gains, about half of it is due to specific efforts to address major causes of disease and disability -- such as providing better and more accessible health services, introducing new medicines and other health technologies, and fostering healthier behaviors. Center for Global Development.
Vaccine preventable diseases in sub-Saharan Africa
Global Immunization Vision and Strategy (GIVS)
Information on immunization for lots of diseases
From The Edith Hamilton Library
Mapping epidemics: a historical atlas of disease. Hoff, Brent H. (614.4 H)
Vaccine: the controversial story of medicine's greatest lifesaver. Allen, Arthur. (614.47 A)
Scourge: the once and future threat of smallpox. Tucker, Jonathan B. (616.9 T)
Dr. Jenner and the speckled monster: the search for the smallpox vaccine. Marrin, Albert. (614.5 M MS)
An unintended consequence of the current focus on the control of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria has been a relative neglect of other infectious diseases, such as pneumonia and diarrhoea, which still kill many children in the developing world. Why has the control of pneumonia in young children been so neglected? Reasons that have been suggested include the nature of the target group (children in deprived communities), the multiple etiologies of pneumonia, lack of agreement among experts on the most appropriate intervention strategies and incorporation of case management of pneumonia into the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) strategy, which has reduced the disease’s visibility. Brian Greenwood WHO
WHO | Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia
PATH: New vaccine development effort to prevent pneumonia
Pneumonia from the American Lung Association
lthough polio is no longer something that children in the U.S. need to worry about, the paralyzing and potentially deadly disease remains a threat in many areas of the world. On Sept. 27, leaders of many public- and private-sector organizations—including representatives from the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement—gathered at the United Nations to pledge their support for complete eradication of polio. In 1998, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a partnership spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO) set a goal to rid the world of polio completely by the year 2000. Now that the new century has begun, the leaders of this initiative, and several new additions, met for the first annual Global Polio Partners Summit and set a new deadline of 2005.
The polio eradication campaign has made substantial gains so far, reducing the number of worldwide polio cases by 95 percent, according to the WHO website. Still, a spokesperson for WHO told the media, there is a long way to go before the disease is completely eliminated in some 30 countries.redcross.org
WHO | Polio eradication: now more than ever, stop polio forever
Infectious Disease News - Worldwide polio eradication moving ...
From The Edith Hamilton Library
Polio: an American story. Oshinsky, David M. (614.5 O)
Splendid solution: Jonas Salk and the conquest of polio. Kluger, Jeffrey. (921 Salk)
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September 2008
