Rx for Survival: A Global Health Challange

[Muhammad]

PBS Television Series

This television event looks at the most critical and emerging threats to global public health and chronicles the leaders who, against all odds, deliver the goods.

did anyone catch it?

[Animal Farm]

I actually caught it, it’s interesting in the beginning I thought they were talking about just AIDS, and it’s really sad how Africa is at great danger, especially the coverage on Botswana --- life expectancy is under 40, and soon it’ll be at 30 – really joking, how stigmatization is keeping people away from getting treatment. And here we are always complaining that the west doesn’t offer their drugs, it was interesting to see people rejecting treatment. In this is a country that is reasonably moderate, economically speaking as they mentioned it in the doc.

 

And the person of interest, the lady with the girls, 2 of them born with AIDS, how her husbands abandons her, when prolly he gave it to her by sleeping with AIDS infected prostitutes.

[NASSIR]

This is excellent site. Thanks for sharing. By the way, KPBS is my favorite San Diego channel and it's a broadcast service of SDSU

[Muhammad]

^ you bet

 

AF; the Botswana case was saddening, but what captured me was Alfred Sommer's discovery of the cure for nightblindness, 'a condition arising from vitamin A deficiency'. it suprises you how simple some of these Health problems can be cured.

 

 

I was surfing the site, and came across this: Global Health Atlas.

 

In the HIV/AIDS section, for Somalia they have; 12 deaths per 100,000

 

that suprised me. but what realy scared me was all of our neighboring countries, apart from Djabuti, they have 400+ deaths per 100,000! Subhanallah, may Allah protect us!

 

other diseases in Somalia:

 

Diarrheal Diseases: 68 deaths per 100,000

 

Tuberculosis: 100 deaths per 100,000

 

Malaria: 81 deaths per 100,000

 

Measles: 20 deaths per 100,000

[Jabhad]

Recently there was an interesting program on PBS. It talked about the World running out of Antibiotic drugs. Its all about money. Drug companies choose to make money making drugs and not antibiotics.

[SeeKer]

Isn't antibiotic a drug? Yea its a shame that drug companies are in it to me money but thats laissez faire. Go tell McD to start giving free burgers and fries to combat world hunger instead of selling them for a dollar. Anyway antibiotics immunity is becoming prevalent these days so maybe the concentration should lie on preventative measures and curative as a secondary measure.

 

Anyway going on a tangent. PBS does good shows about health issues around the world. I thought it was a good resource when I was writing a paper on AIDS epidemic in India.

[raula]

Mohammed the series hit home with me since my interests lies deep in public health. I was amazed at the discoveries and interventions. I was pleased that there were unsung heroes in our continent(Africa) that were motivated to lessen the disease burden..and many were WOMEN.

 

Personally, any medical attention that capsulates public health models that initiate with basic care and feasible mechanics that can be implemented anywhere in the world (even the world's poorest countries) broadcasts success in my perception but not all medical calamities (in terms of proportionality i.e. epidemic/pandemic proportions) can be cured by therapeutic means. Hence, I was amazed by the works of some of the global health heroes that were highlighted in the series. The one that I took my hat off to was Fazle Hasan Abed

By learning how to manufacture ORT(oral rehydration therapy) from a simple mix of sugar, salt and water, he was able to reduce the child mortality significantly in his home country of Bangladesh. Amazing! See this kind of mentality is what we need nowadays. We cannot depend on aid from international organization, we cannot rely on antibiotics for the rest of our lives, and we cannot certainly lay our health line in the hands of technology and future-research, mind you medical doctors who are only humans. We need to go back to basics, and that is (from my perception) what this man did…knowing that scientific technology and monetary funds weren’t on his side (or would be overdue), he concocted a feasible plan i.e. manufacture it using basic products (nevertheless, that is what it is basic science).

 

I wonder if we use such tactic as they did in Bangladesh...in Africa, how it would stand? just curious(not that it is not being implemented as we speak..but if we really took it vigorously). This is what they call COMMUNITY INTERVENTIONS-motivating and mobilizing communities to undertake thier on health initiatives.

 

I will wait for the final series then give full details perhaps.

[Muhammad]

"We need to go back to basics.." and "This is what they call COMMUNITY INTERVENTIONS-motivating and mobilizing communities to undertake thier on health initiatives. "

 

raula, that is the solution to most of the issues these societies are facing today. When you begin to think the problem is out there, ultimately that very thought becomes the paralyzing problem.

 

The only hope I see for Africa or the 3rd world is if they stoped waiting to be saved and start graping their destiny by the horns.

 

As you noticed, the most effective solution is often the simplest, this question begs for an answer though, are we willing to pay the price this discipline requires?

 

"Until They Change What Is In Themselves"

[raula]

right on mate. if we dont start taking initiatives now..or change our perception, no doubt we will pay a bigger price than we are now. But a debilitating aspect of our daily life(as africans) is that we are already standing on one leg(poverty, political instabilty, economic flux, waging epidemics etc) and our prominent brain-power have been exported overseas by lucrative lifestyles and monetary compensation (except a small percentage that have no choice or are patriotic to their countries). So, we can't do it ourselves, but i believe we can make vast changes if we only put a lot of effort on basics health education (or any kind of basic education for all-since calamities dont spare the old from the young). Afterall, cleaniness is part of piety.

[Muhammad]

"cleaniness is part of piety" and half of the solution for africa.

 

afkaaga caano lagu qabay dear dada, you are one of our bright hopes!

 

may Allah increase you in knowledge and wisdom to implement it. amiin

[raula]

^^^^insha-allah, and to all of us who cling on hope and guidance from the exalted (Allah s.w.)-Amin.

 

The last piece Muhammad, titled BACK TO BASICS-was a superb conclusion to the program. It recapped my intuitions; nevertheless ways of life before the industrial revolution. See, the basic thing is that the more we extract nature by exploiting or tampering with it without restoring or recycling(not the mere recycling of cans etc, i mean in the literal terms of conservation or reinstating nature with its original or supplemental components), the rise of the SUPERBUGS. As you saw vectors were becoming resistant to vaccines by mutation due to diverse microbial population, hence variation in disease spectrum. So, back to basics and as they said in the program clean water and sanitation goes a great length as to preventing major infectious disease.

 

Besides, third world countries do not have enough medical technology (as well as staff, let alone sufficient and advanced technology) to combat critical health care needs. I was in stunned when they said that HONDURAS had ONE respirator serving the whole country. Wonder how many hyperbaric chamber Somalia has?

 

Miscellaneous:

Botswana: In my perception, the call made to provide Routing Testing for everyone that visited hospitals in that country significantly reduced the stigma as well as built a case study where intervention to those affected and not affected with HIV was now possible and clear. This hallmark idea should be implemented in other parts of Africa as well. In addition, free drugs reduced the rate of OPPORTUNISTIC DISEASES from exacerbating the immune system, hence the disease.

 

Michael Olsterhom – MN state epidemiologist who has done exceptional work here locally and is recognized nationally was shown. I was thrilled at the site--super fan of school of public health here in MN(great school by the way).

 

Overall, great series. enjoyed it to the bone-everyone at home thought that i was a nut case with keeping time of the series

[Simply_I]

You treat people as they treat you dear.

If they are funny you act funny, if they are arrogante you do the same. But sometimes if they are too slow to get your drift, you allow them.