Infectious Diseases, Although Disastrous, We Can Protect Our Health From Them

While devastating earthquakes and catastrophic floods make front page news, the drastic deterioration of the health by infectious diseases rarely attracts the media spotlight. Even so, the devastating effect of health caused by infectious diseases such as AIDS, malaria, respiratory diseases and diarrhoea is 160 times greater than the number natural disasters kills. And the situation is getting worse.
Two main factors are said to be responsible for this shocking figure. One is the unrelenting spread of AIDS, which kills 300 people every hour. AIDS is no longer a disease, it is a disaster. Such a widespread disease destroy the workforce and shatter the economy. The other factor is the deterioration of public health systems resulting in a dramatic comeback of the older health devastating diseases such as tuberculosis, syphilis, and malaria. For instance, one Asian country is presently reporting 40,000 new tuberculosis cases every year. In one Eastern European country, syphilis infections have increased 40-fold in the last decade.
The irony is, however, that although infectious diseases that break down the health have turned into disasters, they are actually among the most preventable disasters. The 13 million deaths from health deteriorating infectious diseases that occurred in 1999 could have been prevented at a cost of US$5 per person. If the world's governments were willing to spend $5 per person on health care. a total of $30 billion which is a token compared to the amount being spent on global military in preparation for war. imagine how many needless death could have been prevented.
we have a role to play in protecting our health from devastating diseases. Sexually transmitted diseases can be prevented if we discipline ourselves morally. Diseases that we can get by getting in contact with infected blood can be prevented if we give wise consideration to the type of treatment we receive when it involves blood intake, and never share cutting or piecing objects. Our health will be more lasting and better if we are more careful with our health.