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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

El Salvador: Gun Violence, Sofia Wajner May 2018

El Salvador: Gun Violence, Sofia Wajner

Global Issues in Public Health

El Salvador, a country about the same size as the U.S’s New Jersey and a population of over six million people, has a death rate of 5.8 per 1,000. Even after going to war in the 1980s and 1990s, El Salvador is still riddled with everyday gun violence. Due to severe gang activity, the death toll has skyrocketed and police interjection only makes it worse. The leftist government of President Salvador Sánchez Cerén, has opposed negotiations and moved gang leaders into tighter-security prisons, moves that have intensified the climate of confrontation. Plans to combat gang and gun violence has made …


Lebanon: Cholera Outbreak, Muhammad Naqvi Jan 2018

Lebanon: Cholera Outbreak, Muhammad Naqvi

Global Public Health

Lebanon is a country that has always been tangled with the ever looming threat of a growing health crisis. With a failing government and massive influx of refugees, mostly the victim of their war torn economy, it seemed inevitable that sanitation procedures would run short. Now the Lebanese people and government face the challenge of the spread of Cholera, a water-borne disease, within the countries vicinity as a result of mass pollution from the formation of informal settlements as well as the country being a hotbed for political instability. These have resulted in limited success in controlling the outbreak engulfing …


Czech Republic: Diabetes, Alejandra Martinez Jan 2018

Czech Republic: Diabetes, Alejandra Martinez

Global Public Health

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus, a life-threatening disease, continues to grow annually in the Czech Republic and the accessibility of care is at stake. Most of the information and statistics compiled in this brief are derived from insurance companies in the Czech Republic, rather than governmental records, which reflects the need for mass data collection of diabetes accessibility and treatment. In order to understand the public health issue, the public must also be informed and encouraged to visit their doctor for checkups to prevent diabetes and its various complications. The healthcare system could better care for Czechs not only to …


Benin: Malaria, Daniel Priggie Jan 2018

Benin: Malaria, Daniel Priggie

Global Public Health

Benin is a country in Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Tago. Malaria is one of the top diseases in Benin, with an estimated five to ten thousand confirmed cases, but the number of actual cases is expected to be much higher. The disease can be potentially life-threatening for individuals who become infected. Malaria is an extremely severe blood disease, that if left untreated can become life threatening. Malaria is transmitted through the bite of the mosquito. The problem has become so severe in Benin that malaria is considered to be one of the high-risk diseases …


Bhutan: Human Trafficking, Cindy Osagie Jan 2018

Bhutan: Human Trafficking, Cindy Osagie

Global Public Health

Human trafficking has been present in Bhutan for many years but has continued to increase along Bhutan’s borders. The reason for this increase can be contributed to the rise of vulnerable citizens. In particular, women and children are extremely susceptible to forced labor and sex trafficking. This brief further details the challenges, political structure, epidemiology, and also the intervention and identification of human trafficking in Bhutan. The increase of human trafficking can also be correlated to the rise in HIV/AIDS in Bhutan. The challenges that has stopped any progress in reducing human trafficking, is the government of Bhutan’s continuous denial …


Democratic Republic Of The Congo: Hiv/Aids, John Tworek Jan 2018

Democratic Republic Of The Congo: Hiv/Aids, John Tworek

Global Public Health

The Democratic Republic of the Congo faces a great number of health issues, however, one of the most prevalent diseases within the country is HIV/AIDS. An estimated 122,168 thousand cases were reported in 2015, with the total number of deaths at 19,000, in a country that has a population of 82,804,942. The research done on HIV/AIDS in The Democratic Republic of the Congo looks at the basic epidemiology of the region, how to identify the disease, and major risk factors present. Other major challenges The Democratic Republic of the Congo faces are included, as well as suggestions for preventing further …


Hungary: Cardiovascular Disease, Taylor Steger Jan 2018

Hungary: Cardiovascular Disease, Taylor Steger

Global Public Health

Hungary faces many public health issues. In particular, cardiovascular disease has impacted the majority of the Hungarian people with a mortality rate of 50-60%. The high consumption of fattening food, excessive alcohol drinking, smoking habits and tobacco use impact the entire population’s health status. This disease impacts blood vessels and causes them to narrow or be blocked. This blockage causes blood flow from the heart to be suppressed which can cause heart attacks, strokes etc. Hungary has the highest amount of people with cardiovascular disease out of all European countries. The most impacted people are in the urban areas. This …


Ethiopia: Malaria, Courtney R. Olson Jan 2018

Ethiopia: Malaria, Courtney R. Olson

Global Public Health

Ethiopia is a developing country located on the easternmost part of Africa. Ethiopia has a population of around 105 million people. With such a high population, Ethiopia faces a majority of infectious diseases; one of which is Malaria. In Ethiopia alone, there are around 3 million cases of Malaria each year and it is known to be the biggest health risk for this developing country. Because a majority of Ethiopians live under the poverty line, adequate food, water, shelter, and medical services are slim to none. Although drug interventions have been found to be somewhat beneficial, the problem continues to …


Guinea-Bissau: Hiv/Aids, Matt Macarthur Jan 2018

Guinea-Bissau: Hiv/Aids, Matt Macarthur

Global Public Health

This public health brief investigates the concern of HIV/AIDS in Guinea-Bissau. Guinea-Bissau is a low-income country run by a semi-presidential government. The government has been very unstable since its formation. A variety of internal conflicts have limited the effectiveness of the government. As a result, there is little money to provide proper treatment for individuals with HIV/AIDS. It is important to get tested for this condition as soon as symptoms occur, but due to limited resources that is not always possible. Guinea-Bissau has a very high fertility rate compared to other countries worldwide, this allows for a high mother-to-child transmission …


Myanmar: Malaria, Michelle Grevengoed Jan 2018

Myanmar: Malaria, Michelle Grevengoed

Global Public Health

Myanmar is an underdeveloped country that struggles with the problem of lack of medical access and expensive healthcare. The endemic of Malaria has been going on for several years in this country and many efforts have been made to try and decrease the Public Health issue. However, Myanmar still has the highest number of Malaria-related deaths. The Myanmar government is continuously working at improving the healthcare system to help with the Malaria endemic. However, the poor country still continues to struggle with this issue. The parasite, P. falciparum, has been an ongoing issue since it is resistant to the …


Somalia: Rift Valley Fever, Alyson Meeks Jan 2018

Somalia: Rift Valley Fever, Alyson Meeks

Global Public Health

This walks readers through the basic demographics of Somalia, a country located in the horn of Africa. After learning about the government in Somalia and the problems that the people of the country face, this focuses on the problem of Rift Valley Fever. Rift Valley Fever is a virus that year after year strikes Somalia and surrounding countries. Weather patterns seem to help predict when Rift Valley Fever will be at the highest risk for an outbreak. This outlines the steps the current government and people are trying to take to help prevent outbreaks of RVF. But the solutions currently …


Slovenia: Cardiovascular Disease, Natalia Pinto Jan 2018

Slovenia: Cardiovascular Disease, Natalia Pinto

Global Public Health

Though the rates of mortality due to cardiovascular diseases in Slovenia have decreased, this is still the leading cause of death in the country. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Europe in general as well. Various forms of heart disease have the highest rate of death within the country as a whole. As Slovenia continues to educate its population on how to prevent and be cautious when dealing with this disease, the people of Slovenia will suffer less from cardiovascular diseases.This report will discuss the challenges of Cardiovascular disease in Slovenia, the frequency of the disease and …


Lithuania: Cervical Cancer, Samantha Dinglasan Jan 2018

Lithuania: Cervical Cancer, Samantha Dinglasan

Global Public Health

Lithuania is an upper middle income country but is one of the poorest of the countries in the EU. This country is run by a Unitary Semi-Presidential Representative Republic and has a population of just under 3 million people. Due to the poor healthcare system and corruption, Lithuania has several different concerns for their population health and cervical cancer is one of these. This ongoing concern has been continuously growing but there are various studies that indicate a potential decrease in incidence and mortality rates caused by this disease. Vaccines, education, and general awareness has proven to make some impact …


United Arab Emirates: Mers-Cov, Sarmad Nawaz Khan Jan 2018

United Arab Emirates: Mers-Cov, Sarmad Nawaz Khan

Global Public Health

United Arab Emirates is a federal absolute monarchy in Western Asia at the South East end of the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman to the East and Saudi Arabia to the south, as well as sharing maritime borders with Qatar to the west and Iran to the north. The current population of the UAE is 9,457,851. It is a federation of hereditary absolute monarchies, governed by a Federal Supreme Council made up of seven Emirs. The external and internal challenges faced by United Arab Emirates are some security and political issues and in the field of business. …


Swaziland: Hiv/Aids, Ibrahim El Kamla Jan 2018

Swaziland: Hiv/Aids, Ibrahim El Kamla

Global Public Health

No abstract provided.


Panama: Ischemic Heart Disease, Alexander R. Ligeza Jan 2018

Panama: Ischemic Heart Disease, Alexander R. Ligeza

Global Public Health

This public health brief draws attention to the issue of ischemic heart disease that is currently plaguing Panama. Due largely to the dietary culture of the country, ischemic heart disease remains the number one health-related killer of Panamanians. Over the past few decades, there has been a stark increase in the amount of processed foods that are becoming a large part of the diets of western nations, and Panama has become no stranger to this trend. Although there have been great strides made in the treatment of ischemic heart disease, Panama still has a long road ahead of itself before …


Vanuatu: Malaria, Cody Wheeler Jan 2018

Vanuatu: Malaria, Cody Wheeler

Global Public Health

Vanuatu is a small archipelago near Australia with a population of over 280,000. This nation consists of almost all native Vanuatuans, who live in rural areas. This young nation, only 40 years of independence, has many issues ranging from infantile mortality to an underdeveloped infrastructure, water and sanitation issues. This brief’s focus is the endemic of malaria, specifically the Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax strains of the disease. The nation is attempting to manage the issue through implementation of screening and better testing for malaria. The use of insecticide treated nets (ITNs) is also prevalent, but in some areas the …


Qatar: Diabetes, Diangelo Gonzalez Jan 2018

Qatar: Diabetes, Diangelo Gonzalez

Global Public Health

The State of Qatar is a developed nation that is located in the Middle East and borders the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia. The nation is a constitutional monarchy and is currently led by Amir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The 2,300,000+ people of Qatar face many major challenges. Although it is one of the wealthiest nations in the Middle East, Qatar faces issues of human trafficking, migrants willing to work in poor conditions, and Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). The most critical issue that plagues this county is diabetes, both I and II. Diabetes is a disease that is …


Micronesia: Tuberculosis, Mulualem Hailom Jan 2018

Micronesia: Tuberculosis, Mulualem Hailom

Global Public Health

This brief contains the general information of the Federal state of Micronesia, major problems of the country, and in particular Tuberculosis disease and Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis. Under the general information of Micronesia, the location, the political structure, the demographic information, and the internal and also external challenges are listed. This brief also has detailed information about the two simultaneous outbreaks of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis of Micronesia. Tuberculosis is one of death contributing factor in Micronesia. Tuberculosis can be cured if the therapy is properly taken but if the therapy isn’t taken properly, the TB disease can grow into Multidrug –Resistance tuberculosis, which …


Tanzania: Hiv/Aids, Francis Faasen Jan 2018

Tanzania: Hiv/Aids, Francis Faasen

Global Public Health

Tanzania has a lot of issues going on in the community, but HIV/AIDS is the number one issue they are facing. Over 5% of their population has the HIV/Aids virus. There are many interventions that have been tried in Tanzania. In the last year there have been over 50,000 new cases of HIV/Aids in Tanzania. The goal is to main those numbers go down dramatically in the coming years. The two most common interventions are trying to educate this subject at a young age and provide condoms to the population. They tried giving condoms out to the people of Tanzania …


Mozambique: Hiv/Aids, Camila Davila Jan 2018

Mozambique: Hiv/Aids, Camila Davila

Global Public Health

Mozambique is a country located in Southeastern Africa near the Mozambique Channel and the Indian Ocean. The president of this nation is Filipe Jacinto Nyusi. The total population is 26, 573, 706 which is composed of mostly 99.68% Africans and other minorities. Its national language is Portuguese although most of the population speaks Emarkhuwa. Most of the population is Catholic and a few others include Muslims and Zionist Christians. Mozambique faces several challenges with malaria, poverty, malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, and illicit drugs. HIV/AIDS is a common health problem that targets the immune system and is transmitted through bodily fluids such as …


Cholera: Uganda, Emilie Verran Jan 2018

Cholera: Uganda, Emilie Verran

Global Issues in Public Health

The bacterium Vibrio cholerae, when ingested, infects the intestines and causes a communicable diarrhea disease called cholera. Outbreaks of cholera occur in areas with poor sanitation and sewage treatments where fecal material of an infected person contaminates the water. These areas include Southeast Asia, Haiti, and sub-Saharan Africa, including Uganda. From 2011-2016, an analysis of Ugandan cholera data showed ‘hot spots’ of cholera cases in fishing communities with incidence rates as high as 120-998 cases per 100,000 people. An analysis of these same districts from 2011-2015 showed an average Case-Fatality Ratio of 2.4%, with the worst district as high …


Zika Virus, Monica A. Wong Jan 2018

Zika Virus, Monica A. Wong

Global Issues in Public Health

The purpose of this public health brief is to learn about the Zika virus, the epidemiology of it, and possible solutions for the virus. The Zika virus has been present in many places such as Africa, Asia, North America, and so many more. People who live in these affected areas and anyone traveling to these places where Zika has been present is at risk, especially pregnant women or women trying to conceive. While the Zika virus has a low mortality rate, the morbidity rates are higher. Some outcomes may include eye defects, hearing loss, and impaired growth. The Zika virus …


Childhood Obesity: United States, Jessica Nguyen Jan 2018

Childhood Obesity: United States, Jessica Nguyen

Global Issues in Public Health

Childhood obesity, a noncommunicable disease usually caused by consuming more energy in meals than your body needs, is often due to hereditary causes and the structure of their communities. With the average weight of American children increasing in the past thirty years, parents should be more informed on how to improve their offspring’s development and reduce the likelihood of chronic diseases. The Body Mass Index is the scale used to determine whether or not the child is considered overweight for their height and age, based off of their extra body fat. After comparing the child to the CDC growth charts, …


Climate Change: Antarctica, Marika Vi Jan 2018

Climate Change: Antarctica, Marika Vi

Global Issues in Public Health

Climate change is a public health issue that affects the entire globe. These effects include the rising in sea levels, shrinking of mountain glaciers, accelerating ice melt, and shifts in flower and plant blooming. The cause of climate change is due to what is known as the “greenhouse effect.” This is where certain gases block heat from getting out of the atmosphere. The cause of this effect is due to many factors like the overuse of fossil fuels and overpopulation. The impact of climate change on the Antarctic, to be specific, is that it has been seen to affect the …


Food Insecurity: United States, Courtney Handzel Jan 2018

Food Insecurity: United States, Courtney Handzel

Global Issues in Public Health

Food insecurity is a global issue and has caused struggles to millions of people, specifically in the United States. This environmental issue involves not having the resources to obtain adequate food supply. The economic and social influences that affect food insecurity leave vulnerable populations, such as low-income families and minority races, at a greater disadvantage. This issue causes serious health complications to arise too, the most common being diabetes. The increased risk of diabetes due to food insecurity has been studied on several occasions and the results all show the correlation, lack of food security increases the risk of diabetes. …


Trinidad & Tobago : Hiv Epidemic, Madison Caldwell Jan 2017

Trinidad & Tobago : Hiv Epidemic, Madison Caldwell

Global Public Health

Trinidad and Tobago are twin islands located in the Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela. In the recent years since about 1990, citizens of this country have been greatly affected by the HIV epidemic. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus and is spread through infected seman, blood, or vaginal fluids usually through sexual intercourse. As this virus continues to progress in the body, it will eventually turn into AIDS, which stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Once HIV progresses to AIDS, the outcome is ultimately fatal, hence why there is a dire need to promote awareness and methods of intervention to …


Kuwait : Obesity, Sabrina Difiori Jan 2017

Kuwait : Obesity, Sabrina Difiori

Global Public Health

The country of Kuwait is known for their extremely high prevalence of obesity. It is a major public health issue for people of both genders. For men, the prevalence for obesity is 36 percent and 48 percent for women. A type of intervention that is often used to fix this problem is stomach stapling: the process of making the stomach smaller to reduce the amount of food intake. If children can start becoming more educated about this issue early on in their lifetime, the prevalence of obesity might not be so high in years to come.


Malta : Natural Freshwater Resources, Lisamarie Pereira Jan 2017

Malta : Natural Freshwater Resources, Lisamarie Pereira

Global Public Health

The aim of this paper is to discuss Malta’s struggle with limited natural freshwater resources. Malta currently uses aquifers to obtain natural freshwater. For over a decade, aquifers have been under pressure from over-abstraction. Due to this issue, Malta has not been able to obtain enough natural freshwater for agriculture and basic living. The biggest risk due to over-abstraction is retrieving a smaller volume of freshwater. In Malta’s attempted interventions, the biggest issue is the Maltese government’s misconceptions. The Maltese government believes the country has unlimited natural freshwater resources. Due to this misconception, nothing is being done to actively fix …


Belize : Maternal Mortality And Morbidity, Kelsey Snodgrass Jan 2017

Belize : Maternal Mortality And Morbidity, Kelsey Snodgrass

Global Public Health

In this report, we discuss infant and maternal mortality/morbidity rates in Belize. While the problem is getting better, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to fix it. Those in rural areas are still not being reached and are the most at risk for maternal and infant mortality due to lack of transportation and hospitals in the region.