How Epidemics can Result in the Airing of the Needs of the Poor

  How Epidemics can Result in the Airing of the Needs of the Poor The article by Cueto (2003) uses the case study of Peru’s 1991 cholera outbreak to illustrate how epidemics can result in the airing of the needs of the poor and the confines of public health services, over and above, result in the stigmatization of the infected and implementation of totalitarian political decisions. The reading impacted my understanding of public health policies in developing nations in that I realized that health issues are often tied to political, social, and economic factors. For instance, while the origin of the cholera epidemic that broke out in late January 1991 remains unknown, Peru's poor water and sewerage systems impeded efforts to contain the disease (Cueto). The epidemic also broke out at a time marked by economic hyperinflation, political instability, and domestic terrorism. Although initial efforts at containing the epidemic were steered under the able leadership of the prolific medical doctor Carlos Vidal, his methodical campaign was short-lived owing to conflicting political and financial interests (Cueto).
I learned that in countries suffering from political and economic crises, it is more challenging to solv...