Medical Geography

Question 1

What do medical geographers study?

Answer 1

Medical geographers study why diseases are where they are and the spatial patterns of health-related topics.

• Spatial patterns of diseases
• Disease diffusion
• Access to healthcare
• Health and disease in developed & developing countries

Question 2

Why is health issues and disease prevalent in developing countries?

Answer 2

• Sanitation problems in rapidly urbanizing area
• Use of pit latrines, no sewage system
• Contaminated groundwater

Question 3

How does HIV/AIDS affect countries?

Answer 3

Affects nearly every facet of life – economy, culture, medicine, law, families, and more

Question 4

What country in africa has the highest concentration of AIDS?

Answer 4

Sub-Saharan Africa = Region worst affected by epidemic

• Has ~10% of world’s population, but 2/3 of people living with HIV
• Low access to treatment = high death rate

Question 5

What diseases are a bigger problem in the US (Chronic diseases or infectious diseases?)

Answer 5

Chronic diseases. We have vaccines and treatments for infectious diseases.

Question 6

What is the spatial and temporal patterns of obesity for the US?

Answer 6

Top states for obesity in 2010 were in the south/east

Question 7

How is ebola spread?

Answer 7

ISN’T AIRBORNE!!

It’s spread through DIRECT contact with infected bodily fluids. Into an open cut or mucous membranes.

Question 8

What are some precautions for ebola?

Answer 8

• Contact tracing of infected person + isolation
• Barriers between healthcare workers and patients
• Careful burial procedures

Question 9

What is R0?

Answer 9

The number of people that one sick person will infect (on average)?

Question 10

What is the maximum Ro values for:

1. Hepatitis C
2. Ebola
3. HIV
4. SARS
5. Mumps
6. Measles

Answer 10

1. 2
2. 2
3. 4
4. 4
5. 10
6. 18

Question 11

Why is the current outbreak of Ebola important?

Answer 11

• First to have occurred in urban areas
• First to cross international borders
• Major loss of local healthcare workers

Question 12

What outbreaks in two African countries will be over soon?

Answer 12

Senegal and Nigeria - no new cases in over 21 days (max incubation period of Ebola virus)

Question 13

For the current outbreak of Ebola as of Sept 30, 2014, what are the number of cases/ deaths for:
Guinea
Sierra Leone
Liberia

Answer 13

Guinea: 1199/ 739
Sierra Leone: 2437/ 623
Liberia: 3834/ 2069

Question 14

Has the ebola virus gotten into non-african countries?

Answer 14

US Cases:

• Dallas, TX (locally diagnosed, but IMPORTED) – patient died on Oct 8
• Nebraska (diagnosed in Liberia – may have been infected while spraying down a vehicle in which a patient died)

Case in Spain (locally acquired – nurse’s assistant who treated patients in Spain)

Question 15

Whats more dangerous, malaria or ebola?

Answer 15

Malaria: 1

• 700 deaths per day; 627,000 deaths per year.
• 90% in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• 77% in children under the age of 5.