Global determinants of disease H&S

Question 1

Major functions of global health

Answer 1

1. Provide health-related public goods - research, standards, guidelines
2. Manage cross-national externalities through epidemiological surveillance, information sharing, and co-ordination
3. Mobilise global solidarity for populations facing deprivation and disasters
4. Convene stakeholders to reach consensus on key issues, setting priorities, negotiating rules, facilitating mutual accountability, and advocating for health in other policy-making arenas

Question 2

What is the motivation for global health?

Answer 2

• Increased awareness of global health disparities

- Enthusiasm to make a difference across international borders

Question 3

Why is there a shift in global health?

Answer 3

1. Interconnected and globalised world
2. Wider determinants of health
3. Role of other disciplines
4. HIV epidemic, virtual programmes and health systems
5. Role of primary care
6. New vectors e.g. tobacco industry, food industry
7. 10/90 gap - the needs of low income countries remains grossly under-resources

Question 4

What is the solution for the shift in global health?

Answer 4

1. Regulation of the quality of imported food, medicines, manufactured goods, and inputs
2. Getting timely access to information about the global spread of infectious diseases
3. Procurement of sufficient vaccine and drug supplies in a pandemic
4. Ensuring a sufficient corps of well-trained health personnel

Question 5

What is the impact of travel and migration on diseases seen in the UK

Answer 5

• Travellers can contract a disease, be asymptomatic and travel home, having exposed others to disease along the way
• Transmission of behaviour and culture has increased the risk of non-communicable diseases
• Travelling to a new area may introduce a disease to a new population, the effects on this native population would be widespread and deadly
• People more in contact with animals so increase in animal diseases (zoonosis)
• Vaccinations are given to protect travellers against communicable diseases
• Migrants may bring in diseases to a country and cause a spread of new disease in a population that has not previously been exposed to it

Question 6

WHO definition for environment

Answer 6

All physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person, and all the related behaviours

Question 7

What is an epidemic

Answer 7

The rapid spread of infectious disease to a large number of people in a given population within a short period of time. If it spreads to other countries and affects a substantial number of people, it is termed a pandemic

Question 8

Causes, transmission & control of an epidemic

Answer 8

Changes in an infectious agent such as:

1. Increased virulence
2. Introduction into a novel setting
3. Changes in host susceptibility to the infectious agent

Transmission:

1. Airborne
2. Contact: person-person
3. Faecal-oral
4. Contaminated objects: organisms can live on objects for a short amount of time
5. Insect bites
6. Food and water
7. Zoonosis: animal to animal disease transferred to humans

Control:

1. Vaccination
2. Fast, early, planned response means less spread
3. Monitor disease to prevent future outbreaks
4. Insure poor countries against the threat of a pandemic
5. Funds and international responders sent to a country with outbreak to reduce human suffering