According to the UNICEF,every year, close to 11 million children are dying due to preventable diseases. The figure is indeed a distress call. But it is just one of the worrisome epidemiological data being collected and analyzed byhealth experts from around the world.
This issue of Health Alert Asia Pacific discusses the global health situation, providing an overview of the health status of the global population. For the past 30 years or so, new diseases have emerged while diseases that have been eradicated or controlled before are resurging. The global community also got a scare when the Severe AcuteRespiratory Syndrome first appeared in China and quickly spread to other parts of the world. Authorities are also keeping a tight watch on the possible mutation of the bird flu virus.
It is ironic that the century that saw a number of significant achievements in the field of medicine is also characterized by too much death and sufferings. For example, despite the developmentof effective anti-retroviral drugs, thousands are still dying of HIV/AIDS especially in sub-Saharan Africa. To explain this irony, Dr.Prem John touches on the socio-economic and political determinants of health. Often, these determinants are deliberately ignored since discussing these would mean shaking the prevailing world order. He contends that unhampered globalization resultsin social inequities and injustices and compromises the people’s health.
The editorial provides a framework for an alternative discussionof health issues, such as the migration of health professionals and the impact of wars on people’s health. Dr. Wim de Ceukelaire also provided a critique of the Millennium Development Goals and compared these with the ideals of the Alma Ata Declaration.
Amidst the over-all gloomy scenario in the health front, there are also positive undertakings that are worth mentioning. An example of this is the effort of the Social Assistance for the Rehabilitation of the Physically Vulnerable (SARPV) to rehabilitate rickets patients in Bangladesh. The discovery of a high incidence of rickets in several districts in Bangladesh came almost by chance, but the research and rehabilitation programs that followed saw theparticipation of experts from around the globe.
Solving the global health crisis requires more than the realignment of funds and resources, or sophisticated technological advances.More importantly, there must be a strong will to confront and solve the social inequities and injustices that condemn the people to lives of abject poverty.
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Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Addressing Alcohol-Related Problems in Asia-Pacific
The World Health Report revealed that alcohol was responsible for 3.2 percent of all premature death and four percent of global burden disease.
No region of the globe remains unaffected by this growing epidemic of harm caused by alcohol. In developed countries it is the third most serious health risk factor, contributing 9.2 percent of the disease burden. In some parts of the Western Pacific Region it is responsible for 6.2 percent and in other part 8.3 percent of the burden.
Similarly, in the South East Asia Region, it ranges from 1.6 to 6.2 percent.
With the addition of social harm, through alcohol related crime and disorder, domestic violence, neglect of family, child abuse, accidents, loss of productivity and poverty, a considerable economic burden is borne by society. The economic cost of alcohol to a nation has been shown by a number of students to range from 1 to 4.5 percent of gross domestic product.
More important is the pain and suffering of innocent third parties as well as that of users. When these intangibles are assessed then the social cost at least doubles the tangible economic cost.
No region of the globe remains unaffected by this growing epidemic of harm caused by alcohol. In developed countries it is the third most serious health risk factor, contributing 9.2 percent of the disease burden. In some parts of the Western Pacific Region it is responsible for 6.2 percent and in other part 8.3 percent of the burden.
Similarly, in the South East Asia Region, it ranges from 1.6 to 6.2 percent.
With the addition of social harm, through alcohol related crime and disorder, domestic violence, neglect of family, child abuse, accidents, loss of productivity and poverty, a considerable economic burden is borne by society. The economic cost of alcohol to a nation has been shown by a number of students to range from 1 to 4.5 percent of gross domestic product.
More important is the pain and suffering of innocent third parties as well as that of users. When these intangibles are assessed then the social cost at least doubles the tangible economic cost.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Breast is best
The advantages of breastmilk are legion, but I can summarize them in one sentence: It's free, it offers complete and superior nutrition, it provides protection against many diseases and health disorders.
Yet many Filipino couples choose to bottle-feed their infants. Sometimes the reason is that the mother has to return to work, and is unaware that she can refrigerate her breastmilk and have it given to the child. More often though, Filipino couples think that infant formula is superior to breastfeeding, and spend hard-earned money -- up to P1,000 a week – on the milk powder. The reason is simple: They're victims of the relentlessmarketing campaigns of the milk companies.
Yet many Filipino couples choose to bottle-feed their infants. Sometimes the reason is that the mother has to return to work, and is unaware that she can refrigerate her breastmilk and have it given to the child. More often though, Filipino couples think that infant formula is superior to breastfeeding, and spend hard-earned money -- up to P1,000 a week – on the milk powder. The reason is simple: They're victims of the relentlessmarketing campaigns of the milk companies.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Breast is best
The advantages of breastmilk are legion, but I can summarize them in one sentence: It's free, it offers complete and superior nutrition, it provides protection against many diseases and health disorders.
Yet many Filipino couples choose to bottle-feed their infants. Sometimes the reason is that the mother has to return to work, and is unaware that she can refrigerate her breastmilk and have it given to the child. More often though, Filipino couples think that infant formula is superior to breastfeeding, and spend hard-earned money -- up to P1,000 a week – on the milk powder. The reason is simple: They're victims of the relentlessmarketing campaigns of the milk companies.
The marketing campaigns could be even worse if it were not for the Milk Code, whose 20th anniversary we should be celebrating this year, given that it has saved the lives of countless children by regulating the promotion of infant formula.
Michael Tan opinion column Pinoy Kasi Philippine Daily Inquirer pA15 Online link: http://opinion.inq7.net/inquireropinion/columns/view_article.php?article_id=10531
Read more
Yet many Filipino couples choose to bottle-feed their infants. Sometimes the reason is that the mother has to return to work, and is unaware that she can refrigerate her breastmilk and have it given to the child. More often though, Filipino couples think that infant formula is superior to breastfeeding, and spend hard-earned money -- up to P1,000 a week – on the milk powder. The reason is simple: They're victims of the relentlessmarketing campaigns of the milk companies.
The marketing campaigns could be even worse if it were not for the Milk Code, whose 20th anniversary we should be celebrating this year, given that it has saved the lives of countless children by regulating the promotion of infant formula.
Michael Tan opinion column Pinoy Kasi Philippine Daily Inquirer pA15 Online link: http://opinion.inq7.net/inquireropinion/columns/view_article.php?article_id=10531
Read more