Public Health Clinic, Part I—Burden of Disease Paper

Burden of Disease
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Burden of Disease
Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the regions in the world that are most prone to diseases, both communicable and non-communicable. Although there are numerous documented researches on diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, people continue to succumb to deadly diseases, mainly due to poverty, which renders them unable to afford medicine. Similarly, sub-Saharan Africa is a region known for its poor infrastructure and the subsequent effects on health departments. Lives that could have been saved are also lost due to corruption, bureaucracy, and negligence. The most common Communicable diseases include Malaria and HIV, while non-communicable conditions include cancer and tuberculosis. It is, therefore, imperative to assess communicable and non-communicable diseases, challenges to prevention, the reason for prevalence, and analyze their prevention, transmission, and treatment.
Malaria is by far the most prevalent disease in sub-Saharan Africa. Statistics indicate that 90 percent of malaria cases get reported in the region, mainly due to the heavy presence of the plasmodium falciparum, which is one of the most dangerous malaria-transmitting mosquito (Segafredo et al., 2019). Malaria affects the lives of people in Sub-Saharan Africa in terms of poverty, and the inability to buy mosquito nets, which is the most common prevention against the disease. The failure to control mosquitos is one of the most notable challenges to the prevention of malaria. Mosquitos flourish in swampy and bushy areas, and these conditions are widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. Although spraying is a confirmed means of mosquito eradication, it can be expensive on the government’s part, and the next practical solution is mosquito nets, which are too costly for most families. Treatment of malaria as an infectious disease is relatively cheap and easy, although people in Sub-Saharan Africa still succumb to the effects of the disease due to poor management.
HIV is the second most widespread infectious disease in Sub-Saharan Africa. Since the HIV epidemic broke out 30 years ago, scientists and doctors are yet to develop an effective vaccine or cure. Unprotected sex is the most common reason for the high prevalence of HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa (Gouda et al., 2019). Due to illiteracy, early marriages, child trafficking, and commercial sex are some of the reasons for the fast spread of the disease. Unsafe medical injection practices are the other reason for the prevalence of the disease in the region. Some individuals share hypodermic needles to abuse drugs and spread the condition in the process. Some of the challenges faced by public health departments in combatting HIV include lack of funding and poverty. Although people know the dangers of indulging in commercial sex, they proceed with t...