The Impact of Poverty and Health Summary

The impact of poverty and health
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Diarrhea in children
Diarrhea refers to having about three loose or watery stools in a day or more for an individual. The disease has continually become a significant cause of illnesses worldwide, with 2.7 million reported cases globally and 1.9 deaths mainly in developing countries. In children below five years, diarrhea is the second leading cause of death, with 3 million cases reported each year, which result in 1.8 million deaths, most of whom are in developing countries (Chowdhury, Khan, Patel, Siddiq, Saha, Khan, & Ali, 2015, pp. 1-2).
While diarrhea affects both rich and poor children worldwide, people living in poverty bear the brunt of the disease. Poverty is characterized by poor housing, overpopulation, dirty surroundings, and the lack of clean water. Also, inadequate waste disposal and close interaction with disease-carrying domestic animals (Chowdhury et al., 2015, pp. 1-3). Consequently, the children end up coming into contact with all these unsafe conditions, making them prone to diarrhea.
According to a study conducted in Indonesia, infection is a significant cause of the ailment. Diarrhea occasions due to an infection caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasitic organisms found in poorly disposed human waste or contaminated water. Further, with people living in poverty failing to afford health care, such infections go untreated for an extended period, which causes severe diarrhea that leads to numerous deaths (Chowdhury et al., 2015, pp.3). Malnutrition is another cause of the disease. Failure to give children a proper diet makes their bodies lose their barrier protection and optimal immune functions, resulting in increased diarrhea cases.
Solutions to the problem of diarrhea in children
Improvement in access to clean water, adequate sanitation, and the adoption of good hygiene practices is the primary solution to diarrhea in children under five. With 88 percent of all diarrhea cases resulting from poor sanitation, lack of clean water, and poor hygiene, adopting behavior change practices is vital (World Health Organization, 2009, pp. 11). Hand washing in children after visiting the toilet, playing, and before handling food is one of the primary solutions to eradicating the disease. According to studies, washing hands with soap regularly reduces the occurrence of the disease by 33 percent. According to UNICEF, improvement in sanitation, such as appropriate disposal of human waste in toilets and having clean and sanitary surroundings, reduces diarrhea incidents in children by 36%. Interventions to improve the quality of drinking water, such as preventing contamination at the water sources and home treatment through chlorination, filtration, and boiling, also limit the disease’s occurrence and transmission (World Health Organization, 2009, pp. 11-12).
The provision of adequate nutrition is another effective solution to diarrhea in children. UNICEF observes that children suffering from malnutrition are at a higher risk of suffering severe diarrhea since their immune system becomes impaired, infections become prevalent, and a child’s nutrition deteriorates (World Health ...