Development and Health Flashcards
- Describe the physical and human factors which put people at risk of contracting the disease.
The physical factors which put people at risk include, the presence of the vector organism, the female anopheles’ mosquito to infect people. Also, a warm humid climate is needed of temperatures between 16 degrees to 40 degrees with abundant rainfall and a humidity of over 60%. There must be stagnant water e.g. puddles, padi fields for the mosquito to lay its larvae. Furthermore, there must be a shaded area nearby population for the mosquito to digest its bloodmeal. The human factors include, a settlement nearby for the mosquitos ‘blood reservoir’. Areas of bad sanitation, poor irrigation or drainage put people at more risk of malaria due to the poor conditions. In order for the mosquito to infect a human, it must have expose to bare skin in order to retrieve the blood.
- Describe the measures that can be taken to combat the disease and explain the varying effectiveness of these measures.
To control malaria, one method used is to fill in and drain areas of stagnant water however this is not practical and not effective as larve can breed in very small areas such as hoof prints and empty cans. Secondly, the breeding grounds and infested areas can be sprayed with insecticides e.g. malathion which is oil based to kill or stop the parasite. It has a very unpleasant smell and can stain walls yellow. Also, some areas are concerned that it isn’t effective as DDT which is harmful to the environment. Thirdly, they can spray the infested areas with oil, this causes the mosquito to drown, this is not always effective as the oil can enter the food chain which can damage the balance in the ecosystem. Fourthly, spray egg whites onto infested areas, this blocks the larvae breathing tubes and they suffocate and drown, this is not effective in the sense that is a waste of food. Fifthly, plant eucalyptus trees the trees absorb huge amount of water which prevents stagnant water. There are some concerns as it is an invasive tree and also soaks up vital water required for farmland. Furthermore, introducing larve eating fish e.g. muddy loach, the fish will eat the larve and they can be used as an extra source of protein as long as they breed. Also, scatter mustard seeds, the seeds on the breeding grounds are very sticky when wet and they block the larvae breathing tubes causing wasteful and impractical.
- Explain the benefits to a Developing Country of controlling the disease.
Firstly, there will be a healthier workforce, people will earn more income as non-malarial areas earn an average of 60% more malarial areas. Children can attend school more as they will be healthy and can try to end their poverty cycle. Malaria costs up to 40% of public health expenditure, this money can be spent on education or housing. Doctors can spend more time on other diseases as malaria accounts for 30-50% of all hospital admissions. If there is a reduced risk of malaria more tourists will visit, this leads to more money for the economy and more development for the country. The country in question will save millions on drugs, doctors, and insecticides. Also, there will be a lower infant mortality rate and a higher life expectancy.
- Explain how primary health care strategies can improve the health and development of a developing country
Primary health care (PHC) strategies have been introduced by many developing countries in an effort to improve the health of the population. In rural areas of China, the ‘barefoot doctors’ programme has been introduced. Barefoot doctors are local people who are given basic training so they can attend to the medical needs of their community, e.g. snake bites, improving general health. This means that medical aid is within easy reach of the community and this saves them travelling to the nearest hospital. It also takes the pressure off the large hospitals, allowing them to deal with more serious illnesses. The barefoot doctors are effective as they provide the hope of healthcare for people in more remote areas where budgets and manpower can be limited. Training costs are low, e.g. in India it costs $100 to train a health worker for a year. Although the barefoot doctors cannot carry out major procedures, they provide people with important information and services such as advice on birth control, vaccinations and basic hygiene which helps prevent the spread of disease, reduce the birth rate and infant mortality rates. This means that the government can spend more money on development. In some areas, doctors visit rural villages and treat the sick who are too ill to travel to the nearest hospitals. They run clinics in larger villages and take a mobile health van to more remote villages. This means the villages receive vital healthcare which can reduce the death rate. Some PHC programmes provide villages with local dispensaries which improves the health of people by giving them access to essential modern drugs and family planning. Some programmes also implement improvement to sanitation facilities and the provision of clean drinking water, reducing the cases of cholera and malaria and improving the health of the working population which allows them to provide for their families.
