Public Health Commons^™

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 …

Guinea : Malaria, Madeleine Jacobson

Global Public Health

This brief analyzes malaria in Guinea and its impacts on individuals and the society. It consists of a geographic and demographic presentation of Guinea which includes information about its location, climate, natural resources, ethnic groups, politics and social internal and external challenges where human trafficking, lack of healthcare and refugees are discussed. The brief analyzes malaria´s transmission, diagnosis, preventions and a suggestion for an intervention.

Malaria is a vector-borne disease, which means that living organisms that can transmit infectious diseases between humans or from animals to humans, spread malaria. 70 percent of all malaria deaths occur in age years, but …

Chile: Air Pollution, Kara Eder

Global Public Health

Chile faces a constant issue of air pollution, reaping respiratory health problems for citizens in urban areas. While the many cases over the past century have increased officials to take action on the issue, the growing infrastructure and economy of the country makes it difficult to regulate harmful emissions. Wood-burning heaters within urban residential areas also contribute to the unhealthy smog. Ingestion of these forms of matter in the air causes respiratory symptoms such as bronchitis and cardiovascular disease. Bans on such heaters and taxes on vehicle emissions were placed in order to prevent the severity of pollutants in the …

El Salvador: Zika Virus, Annalia Fowler

Global Public Health

One of the current issues in El Salvador at the moment is the outbreak of Zika virus and the lack of understanding where it came from. Zika virus affects the population in many different ways. One of the most important ways that it affects the population is that it causes birth defects such as microcephaly and fetal death. In a country that already has a declining birth rate this could soon have grave effects on the population. As of right now El Salvador is working on an educational approach to stop the spread of the disease, as there is no …

Cuba: Coronary Heart Disease, Michaela Loizzi

Global Public Health

Cuba has a strong health care system with universal health care for their citizens over 40 years old. Despite the strong health care system Cuba lacks the resources necessary to treat coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the country. The country’s whole population is affected by coronary heart disease however the most affected is the lower class due unaffordable treatment. The primary causes of coronary heart disease includes their daily lifestyle such as, physical inactivity, diet, and excessive smoking. It is important to note that the major factors in Cuba leading to coronary heart disease are all …

Grenada: Cardiovascular Disease, Talayah Lemon

Global Public Health

Grenada has a population of 109,011 people. This public health brief encompasses cardiovascular disease and its impact in the country of Grenada. The country suffers from high level of AIDS/HIV, obesity, diabetes, etc. However, Cardiovascular disease is very prevalent in Grenada. About 34% of the population suffer from the disease. Cardiovascular disease affects the blood supply flow to the heart. Grenada’s health system has provided solutions such as providing adequate health care, but lack some healthcare services, such as cardiology and vascular surgeries. Cardiovascular disease has a huge impact on the population, but Grenada works towards ways to mitigate the …

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

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 …

Bulgaria: Brucellosis, Austin Wheeler

Global Public Health

In this brief we will discuss how a disease called Brucellosis has affected the country of Bulgaria. Bulgaria is a European country located towards the South Eastern part of Europe. A few points mentioned in the brief are what the disease can do to your body, through education of the disease we can show what a serious problem it is. The brief will also cover how you can contract the disease through animals, and how you can prevent contraction from occurring. The brief also includes a lot about the religious background of the country. This should hopefully be used to …

Bermuda: Public Health Insurance, Maxwell Mead

Global Public Health

Bermuda, a British island territory located in the remote North Atlantic, remains a serviceable country to its citizens. However, it still lacks a national healthcare system: marking it as a difficult country to live in. Despite acknowledging this issue, Bermudan officials have made few attempts to fix the problem. This, in turn, has made Bermuda the highest annual spender on health per capita in the world at $11,952. As such, the cost of living is rather high in Bermuda, sitting at a full 94.86% higher than the cost of living in the United States. All of this makes affording healthcare …

The Gambia : Tuberculosis, Amen Belayneh

Global Public Health

Tuberculosis in the Gambia

This brief consists of some general information about Gambia, demographic information, the effects of tuberculosis in the country including the challenges brought forth by the disease, and some personal suggestions on the matter. From the general information on Gambia, we learn the location, political structure as well as major internal and external challenges faced by the country. Tuberculosis is one of the country’s major internal challenges in addition to its environmental and economic issues. Under the demographic information we get a broader idea of the Gambia people by looking at population demographic such as birth and …

Comoros: Malaria, Elizabeth Rennolds

Global Public Health

After human settlement and migration took place throughout the world, a disease known as malaria broke out within many countries. Malaria is a disease that comes from a fever where a parasite takes over one’s red blood cells with mosquitoes being the ones that transmit this disease. The symptoms of this disease are as follows: fever (typical cycles of fever, chills, sweating), joint pain, headaches, vomiting, convulsions, and coma. Malaria is a big issue in the Comoros, an island which can be seen in the Indian Ocean between the eastern coast of Africa and Madagascar, because of the many occurrences …

Bahrain: Cardiovascular Disease, Sandra Morales

Global Public Health

A beautiful island in the Arabian Gulf (Persian Gulf), east of Saudi Arabia, north of Qatar, Bahrain is home to over 1.5 million people. The diverse population consists of Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Asians, Africans, and so much more. Bahrain is a constitutional monarchy. The current commander of the Bahrain defense force is Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa. For the most part, Bahrainis have political freedoms. However, one major problem Bahrainis face, in particular men, is cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease accounted for 34% of deaths in 2002. It is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Bahrain. Obesity and inactivity …

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

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

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 …

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 …

Uganda: Malaria, Sui Hnem

Global Public Health

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by mosquito bite. It is a major health problem in Uganda and is a major cause of mortality and morbidity. Pregnant women and children are the most infected groups in the country. The Ugandan government did their best to keep children and women healthy by providing clinics near the villages and advocating home treatment for malaria. Although, the government is very supportive in preventing and promoting the malaria, people did not seek healthcare as much as they should. The reason for not seeking healthcare was because they feel healthy, or the clinic had long …

The South Sudan: Tuberculosis, Blake Schwarz

Global Public Health

The South Sudan is a country that recently gained independence from the Sudan after a bloody twenty year civil war. They lost nearly two million lives during the war, and are now ravaged by Tuberculosis, or TB. After gaining their independence in 2011, the South Sudan has an average of 18,000 cases of TB at any time. This would consider TB in the South Sudan an endemic, as it always has a base level of TB cases that does not vary. There is medication for TB that is available to the citizens on the South Sudan, but the prescription is …

Tonga: Chronic Diseases, Muhammad Taimoor

Global Public Health

Tonga is an Archipelago in the south Pacific Ocean, south of Samoa. The public health brief project is on chronic diseases in Tonga. The total population of Tonga was 107,122 in 2010. The Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga is the established religion in Tonga. Tongan’s make up the majority of the population but there are other ethnicities such as Euromericans and Europeans too. The major challenges faced by Tonga are decaying infrastructure, low economy, and political corruption. The widespread of non-communicable diseases such as cancer is a major health issue in Tonga. 74% of all adults in Tonga are the …

Rwanda: Hiv/Aids, Alissa Anderson

Global Public Health

Rwanda is a small country in Africa. Rwanda has had many conflicts within its borders with wars, genocide, and disease. One of Rwanda’s current threats is HIV/AIDS. This disease is spreading through its population, and making it easier for other diseases; such as hepatitis and tuberculosis, to spread as well. Rwanda is a country that is putting into effect many efforts to decrease its HIV/AIDS population by means of education, campaigns, and treatments regarding the disease. In this article, I use peer reviewed and reliable articles to show the past and current issues that Rwanda has to face with the …

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. …

Virgin Islands: Heart Disease, Dylan Hayden

Global Public Health

The Virgin Islands are located in the Caribbean. The arc of Caribbean islands begins off the coast of Florida and extends all the way to South America. When the Revised Organic Act of 1954 was established, the United States Congress declared the U.S. Virgin Islands to be an unincorporated territory of the United States. The Virgin Islands government consist of three branches that are known as Judicial, Executive , and Legislative branch. There are some major challenges in Virgin Islands. Some of them are: several hurricanes in recent years, frequent and severe droughts and floods, and occasional earthquakes. With that …

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 …

Togo: Hiv/Aids, Brooke Einsweiler

Global Public Health

This brief describes the political structure, internal, and external challenges of Togo, Africa. It primarily focuses on the internal challenge of the high AIDS prevalence in the country and goes into detail on the epidemiology, identification, challenges, and suggestions regarding the disease. AIDS is an immunodeficiency virus that makes it hard for the host to fight off infections and illnesses. The virus is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluid and is most commonly spread through unprotected sex. Men having sex with men are at the highest risk of contracting HIV/AIDS in this region. Pregnant women with HIV/AIDS are also …

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 …

Seychelles: Diabetes, Camille Myers

Global Public Health

One of the major health problems in Seychelles, a cluster of islands off the coast of Eastern Africa, is diabetes. There are many different types of diabetes, but the most common type to this region is Type 2 diabetes. At this time Seychelles, and many other countries in Africa, have about half of the adult population diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Along with the diagnosis of diabetes being a problem, people in Seychelles often go undiagnosed for a while because they are ignorant to the risks and the symptoms of the disease. Only about 50% of the population with pre-diabetic …

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 …

Niger: Meningitis, Rodrigo Medeiros

Global Public Health

Niger is a semi-presidential republic located in western Africa. The majority of the population lives in the most extreme southern part of the country since 80% of Niger’s territory is occupied by the Sahara desert. The desert has been spreading in recent years forcing people to leave their subsistence farms. The majority of the population lives with less than 1 dollar per day. The first meningitis outbreak lasted from 2002 until 2012, but the 2015 outbreak was the one that caused more damage to the countries located in the meningitis belt of sub-Saharan Africa. The meningitis belt is the place …

Palau: Obesity, Tavia Weis

Global Public Health

Located in the heart of the Western Pacific Ocean is a large group of small islands that make up the country of Palau. Known for its growing tourism, beautiful landscapes, and cultural beliefs. Although the country is developing, the current health issue of obesity is a growing concern. With almost half of the population obese and the other half in jeopardy, the rising concerns of the obesity epidemic have taken global news and brought the attention of major countries to try and fix these rising issues. This public health brief will discuss the problems of obesity in Palau and the …