//4.a. Increasing global mobility impacts the diffusion of disease and the ability to respond to it, at a variety of scales Flashcards
Why does increasing global mobility lead to wider disease siffusion?
- because of greater internaitonal flows of people
- imporvements in transport and the effect of a ‘shrinking world’ can enable international organisations to respond rapidly to disease outbreaks
What is the WHO
- World Health Organisation
- established in 1948
- operates the UN system, directing and coordinating international health
- 194 member states
- works with other inational organisations e.g. UNICEF
What are the WHOs aims?
- gathering health data
- providing leadership and identifying priority areas on critical health matters
- research health problems
- monitoring the international health situation
- supporting UN member states when devising health strategies
- providing technical support during a health cricis
What does the WHO also do
- publish World Health Statistics annually-which gives a country by country insight into health risks, mortality rates, spread of disease and government spending
- funds many research projects
- aims to increase understanding across all health related challenges
- seek to research and develop vaccines
How did the WHO respond to the Nepal eathquake in 2015
- delivered emergency relief
- provided medical facilities
Example of a disease outbreak at a local scale- 2009-10 H1N1 Influenza outbreak- key facts
- in April 2009, it was identified in Veracruz state
- H1N1 quickly spread to other parts of Mexico and North America
- by June it had upgraded H1N1 to pandemic status in 74 countries
- in the UK there were two peaks-July and October
- by May 2010 it was in steep decline
Example of a disease outbreak at a local scale- 2009-10 H1N1 Influenza outbreak- mortality rates/deaths
- total mortality estimates by the end of 2010 range from 151,700 to 575,400 with a WHO average of 284,500
- half of these deaths reported in Africa and Southeast Asia. Cases here ranged from 43 million to 89 million
British Red Cross and Cholera epidemic in Haiti, 2010- January 2010 facts
- 220,000 dead
- 300,000 injured
- 1.3 million homeless
- 60% live on less than $2.5 per day
- homless moved to makeshift camps
- capital city- Port Au Prince- 86% of population living in slums
- 50% of people had no toilet
British Red Cross and Cholera epidemic in Haiti, 2010- October 2010 facts
- outbreak of Choldera from October 2010 to Novemeber 2014
- 720,000 cases
- 8700 dead
- Nepal aid workers- relocation diffusion
British Red Cross and Cholera epidemic in Haiti, 2010- what were the worst affected areas?
- Artibonite- 47,230 cases, 811 deaths
- Port Au Prince- 20,307 cases, 249 deaths
British Red Cross and Cholera epidemic in Haiti, 2010- what was the response?
- clean drinking water to 300,000 people living in Port Au Prince camps
- hygiene programme, building 1300 latrines for 250,000 people
- providing medical supplies to the main hospital in Saint Marc
- treating 18,700 cases in portable treatment units
- raising awareness among local people on how to avoid infections and the symptoms