Aggressive TB control can yield big economic gains, says new study

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2007/pr64/en/index.html

A new World Bank research reported 22 countries with the world’s highest numbers of TB cases could earn significantly more than they spend on TB diagnosis and treatment if they signed onto a global plan to sharply reduce the number of TB-related deaths. The study says that the economic cost of TB-related deaths (including HIV co-infection) in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2006 to 2015 is US$ 519 billion when there is no effective TB treatment as prescribed by WHO's Stop TB Strategy. However, if these same countries in Sub-Saharan Africa were to offer such treatment to TB patients, in keeping with a global plan to halve the prevalence and death rates by 2015 relative to 1990 figures, countries could see their economic benefits exceed their costs by about nine times over. The Global Plan to Stop TB, devised by the Stop TB Partnership, would cost US$ 2 billion a year for TB diagnosis and treatment until 2015 in Africa, and US$ 5-6 billion worldwide. We have to spend on TB diagnosis even it does not benefit us economically, but if it can even help us economically; there are no reason to hesitate on spending money on TB diagnosis. All international health issues not only affect the one who has the disease but also affect families, communities, and countries. By solving a problem with disease that affects many people in developing countries, it is helping everyone in the communities. However, it is fact that these developing countries do not have enough funds to spend on TB diagnosis and treatment; therefore it is important many international health organizations and developed country to help these developing countries economically.  

2.5 billion live with poor sanitation facilities

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2008/pr23/en/index.html

Sanitation is one of the most important factor to people’s health internationally. Without access to good sanitation, people will suffer from many diseases even we have a good medical treatment and an aids to developing countries. Over 2.5 billion people are suffering from a lack of access to improved sanitation and nearly 1.2 billion practice open defecation. It is good news that the number of people who do not have an access to an improved drinking water source has fallen below one billion for the first time since data were first complied in 1990. It shows that 87% of the world population has access to improved drinking water sources. However, it means that there are still 13% of the world populations who do not get access to improved drinking water sources. Poor sanitation affects people’s health in many ways, but among many factors, poor sanitation is a biggest threat to children’s survival. One of the biggest killers of infants under the age of five is a diarrheal disease, which is caused by a contaminated environment around children. To save children under five years old, we have to improve the environment of children living. Without improving the sanitation, we cannot change the situation even we provide these people aids and medical care. In order to solve the problem with most effective way, we have to know what causes the problem. As mentioned in every international health problems, it is much better to prevent the problem than solving the problem after problem became a problem.  

Preventable injuries kill 2000 children every day

Article from:http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2008/pr46/en/index.html

WHO and UNICEF had said that more than 2000 children die every day as a result of unintentional or accidental injuries. Every year tens of millions more worldwide are taken to hospitals with injuries that often leave them with lifelong disabilities. However, it is important to know that these unintentional or accidental injuries are preventable. The World report on child injury prevention provides the first comprehensive global assessment of unintentional childhood injuries and prescribes measures to prevent them. If we adopt these proven prevention measures everywhere, we can at least save 1000 children’s lives. Child injuries are also an important public health and development issues because millions of children suffer non-fatal injuries that often require long-term hospitalization and rehabilitation and costs of treatment is very expensive that it can make an entire family into poverty. One other important fact is that children in poorer families and communities are at higher risk of injury because they are less likely to benefit from prevention programs and high quality health services. When we can save 2000 children’s lives every day with just proven prevention measures, we must make it work. Measures of some proven prevention are laws on child-appropriate seatbelts and helmets, hot tap water temperature regulations, redesigning nursery furniture, toys and playground equipment, and many others. Things that were mentioned here are nothing that really costs money to make things happen but we can just make it happen by caring more about the issue and educating people about importance of wearing seatbelts and helmets. 

Malaria progress shows development aid for health works

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2009/malaria_global_report_20091215/en/index.html#

Over the last few years, significant progress has been made in delivering life-saving malaria nets and treatment. The World malaria report 2009 found that the international funding increased 730 million in 2006 to 1.7 billion in 2009. These efforts had allowed a dramatic scale up of malaria control interventions in several countries, along with measurable reductions in malaria burden. More than one-third of the 108 malarious countries documented reductions in malaria cases of more than 50% in 2008 compared to 2000. These had effected not only the decrease in malaria rate, but it also brings other positive effects like declines in all-cause deaths among children less than 5 years of age, suggesting that intensive efforts at malaria control could help many African countries to reach, by 2015. However, the amounts available still fall short of the US$ 5 billion required annually to ensure high coverage and maximal impact worldwide.

This data shows that if we put more efforts and funding for health issues, result shows the development. However, to achieve the goal of MDGs in 2015, we have to focus more on large countries with high malaria burden. The help so far had been done to smaller countries with lower disease burdens. More attention needs to be given to ensuring success in large countries that account for most malaria cases and deaths. This is a one of examples that in order to achieve the best result, we have to put our efforts to the right person and right place, and another thing is that prevention is much cheaper and effective than taking care of the disease after it had occurred. Even though the situation had improved enormously for last few years, there are still things to do in order to meet the MDGs in 2015. Since we know what we have to do to meet the goal in 2015, we have to put more attentions to issues with malaria.