...[pic] Preparing for the Next Pandemic By Michael T. Osterholm From Foreign Affairs, July/August 2005 [pic] Summary: If an influenza pandemic struck today, borders would close, the global economy would shut down, international vaccine supplies and health-care systems would be overwhelmed, and panic would reign. To limit the fallout, the industrialized world must create a detailed response strategy involving the public and private sectors. Michael T. Osterholm is Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, Associate Director of the Department of Homeland Security's National Center for Food Protection and Defense, and Professor at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health. FEAR ITSELF Dating back to antiquity, influenza pandemics have posed the greatest threat of a worldwide calamity caused by infectious disease. Over the past 300 years, ten influenza pandemics have occurred among humans. The most recent came in 1957-58 and 1968-69, and although several tens of thousands of Americans died in each one, these were considered mild compared to others. The 1918-19 pandemic was not. According to recent analysis, it killed 50 to 100 million people globally. Today, with a population of 6.5 billion, more than three times that of 1918, even a "mild" pandemic could kill many millions of people. A number of recent events and factors have significantly heightened concern that a specific near-term pandemic may be imminent. It could be caused by H5N1...
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...Contagion is a movie based on a deadly virus, MEV-1, which spreads around the world in a matter of days (Shamberg, Sher, Jacobs & Soderbergh, 2011). The premise is that the MEV-1 virus is spread person-to-person via airborne droplets produced by sneezes or coughs, as well as by viruses deposited on fomites, such as glasses, doorknobs, peanuts, and so on. The virus circles the globe in a matter of days, causing coughs, fevers and seizures as scientists from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) scramble to identify the pathogen and develop a vaccine. MEV-1 is presented to the audience as a pandemic. During a pandemic preserving the functionality of society is a priority (Gostin, 2008). Contagion raises a host of ethical dilemmas such as paternalism, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. The prospect of encountering a deadly pandemic such as that in Contagion, can create an overwhelming healthcare and community concern. The preparation for and response to an unusual turn of events of this magnitude requires goals that aim to benefit the community, as a whole. This involves an ethical viewpoint based on utilitarianism, with a primary focus on the good of the community, as opposed to the typical medical ethical view that focuses on the individual autonomy of patients. Ethics based on this notion of utility will most indeed pose a conflict between the community and the health of the individuals who make up that community...
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...Is it possible to reconstitute local manufacturing and local food markets, or has Globalization ultimately made this impossible? Globalization is all about integration, combination and incorporation of economies around the world but, it is also the exchange of ideas, culture, and technology. The effects of this phenomenon have reached every country in the globe, the greatest economies as well as the poorest. This affects especially those local manufacturing companies and food markets in the United States. As every new movement of this magnitude, it has been positive for some economies, negative for others and a combination of both elements for some. After been around for a while, globalization became really important as an economic philosophy in 1947 with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), later known as World Trade Organization (WTO). In the last ten years since the Second World War, many governments have adopted free market economic systems. Globalization is a current wave that has been driven by policies that have opened economies domestically and internationally. Governments also have negotiated dramatic reductions in barriers to commerce and have established international agreements to promote trade in goods, services, and investment. Taking advantage of new opportunities in foreign markets, corporations have built foreign factories and established production and marketing arrangements with foreign partners. The principal driver of Globalization has been...
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...Globalization Is it possible to reconstitute local manufacturing and local food markets, or has Globalization ultimately made this impossible? Globalization is all about integration, combination and incorporation of economies around the world but, it is also the exchange of ideas, culture, and technology. The effects of this phenomenon have reached every country in the globe, the greatest economies as well as the poorest. This affects especially those local manufacturing companies and food markets in the United States. As every new movement of this magnitude, it has been positive for some economies, negative for others and a combination of both elements for some. After been around for a while, globalization became really important as an economic philosophy in 1947 with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), later known as World Trade Organization (WTO). In the last ten years since the Second World War, many governments have adopted free market economic systems. Globalization is a current wave that has been driven by policies that have opened economies domestically and internationally. Governments also have negotiated dramatic reductions in barriers to commerce and have established international agreements to promote trade in goods, services, and investment. Taking advantage of new opportunities in foreign markets, corporations have built foreign factories and established production and marketing arrangements with foreign partners. The principal driver of...
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...United States. The definition of a health care system is prevention, treatment and management of illness and preservation of mental and physical well-being through the service offered by the medical and allied health profession (The Free Dictionary, 2009). Many people believe that the current model of health care in the United States is the best health care in the world. However, it has major shortcomings that are becoming more and more visible. The United States has the most expensive health care system in the world based on health expenditure per capita and on total expenditures as a percentage of gross domestic products (Hellender, 2001). The reasons for the high costs in the U.S is due to the rising costs of medical technology, prescription medication and administrative costs resulting from the complex multiple payer system in the U.S. Another reason for the high costs are the high number of uninsured people in the U.S. who required treatment of illness and diseases that could have either been prevented or treated inexpensively in the early stages had they had insurance, rather than treatment of a crisis condition later on as it progressed to a more serious stage. The question on how health care should be structured has been debated many times for a long time now. There have been many studies, reports and initiatives that deal with this...
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...Paula Bent Research Paper 12/19/2010 The Global AIDS crisis and Health Care in the Developing World The global epidemic of HIV/AIDS is rapidly becoming the worst infectious-disease catastrophe in recorded history, surpassing the bubonic plague of the fourteenth century and the influenza epidemic of 1917, each of which killed some 20 million people. (1) The HIV/AIDS epidemic, first identified in 1981, remains among the greatest threats to global health. (2) AIDS has an unprecedented impact on the economy and society because it kills so many adults in the prime of their working lives; it decimates the workforce, impoverishes families, and shreds communities. To summarize, in the worst affected areas it is actually reversing the development gains made over the last four decades. In many cases the disease threatens to eliminate around twenty percent of the workforce. AIDS has an overwhelming impact on developing economies because, unlike other diseases, it kills young and middle-aged adults who are often healthy and productive members of society. In sub-Saharan Africa and many other regions in the world, more women than ever before are living with HIV/AIDS. Further research that reflects the voices of these women is essential. (5). Because of this epidemic both adds to companies' labor costs and slows growth rates in many developing economies. The disease is shared by the developing world where eighty-five percent of AIDS cases are present in the world’s poorer countries...
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...From past to present; the changing focus of public health by Maria Joyce Key sections include: Environment, infectious disease, locating public health, the enlightenment, the Sanitarians, national provision of services, the inception of the National Health Service, ‘crisis in health’, The New Right, The Third Way, new public health. Public health, the new ideology may be taken to mean the promotion of healthy lifestyles linked to behaviour and individual responsibility supported by government action; whereas traditionally the description tended to relate more to sanitary reform and ‘healthy conditions’. The chronological development of public health is mapped out, supported by the outlining and discussion of the emerging themes and influences pertaining to the study of public health. The approach to public health is positioned alongside the health of the population and the prevailing political/societal influence at the time. Public health is impacted on by poverty and environmental factors. Presently government policy to improve public health is delivered in a strategy that recognises the need for health improvement at times when the greatest impact on health is poverty and exclusion. The evidence reviewed demonstrates clearly that poor health without appropriate resources or intervention is cumulative and that the ‘right’ form of intervention can bring about long term health gains. Intervention from a national agenda needs to include individual’s health and the...
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...Travel Impact and Alternatives Topic 8 Staff Training Topic 9 Employee Compensation and Leave of Absence Topic 10 Contact With Public Health Agencies Topic 11 Plan Testing Topic 12 Effective Date All employees of BANK, herein referenced to as the “Bank”, must comply with the terms of this policy immediately. Managers, employees and technical personnel must modify system configurations and procedures, if necessary, to comply with the terms of this policy within TIME PERIOD. 2. POLICY STATEMENT General It is the policy of the Bank to develop, implement and maintain a preparedness strategy with respect to the threat and potential impact of a pandemic influenza event. Pandemics are defined as epidemics or outbreaks of infectious diseases in humans that have the ability to spread rapidly over large areas, possibly worldwide. The United States Government has issued a National Strategy that discusses the threat and potential impact of a pandemic influenza event. The Implementation Plan for the National Strategy identifies roles and responsibilities for the federal government, the private sector, and others. The adverse economic effects of a pandemic could be significant, both nationally and internationally. Therefore the Bank has implemented a specific plan regarding how it will manage a pandemic event due to its crucial financial and economic role in the community in which it serves. The main components of the...
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...For this task I have chosen World Health Organization or WHO. It is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations. WHO’s constitution came into force on 7 April 1948 and it has established itself as an important and trustworthy international actor. The main target of the organization is to provide leadership on global health matters, shape the health research agenda, set norms and standards, provide evidence-based policy options, provide technical support and also monitor and assess global health trends. Its objective is to ensure that everyone has the highest attainable state of health. (Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland 2008, WHO 2014.) FINLAND AND WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION According to Finland’s the...
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...President Truman would offer a national health program plan involving a single system that would include all of American society. Unfortunately, this agreement would be terminated by the American Medical Association (AMA), and is called a Communist plot by a House subcommittee. It wasn’t until the start of the decade during the 1950’s that national health care expenditures were 4.5 percent of the Gross National Product (PBS, 2010), and then later on in the 1970’s an effort brought forth by the World Health Organization planned to achieve “Health for All” by the year 2000. Declaration of Alma-Ata International Conference on Primary Health Care, Alma Ata, USSR, 6-12 September 1978 Governments have a responsibility for the heath of their people, which can be fulfilled only by the provision of adequate health and social measures. A main social target of governments, international organizations and the whole world community in the coming decades should be the attainment by all peoples of the world by the year 2000 of a level of health that will permit them to lead a socially and economically productive life. Primary health care is the key to attaining this target as part of development in the spirit of social justice. During 1978 in Alma-Ata (now Almaty, Kazakhstan) officials from 130...
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...SUBMITTED TO DR. MRS. DEPARTMENT OF FACULTY OF UNIVERSITY OF UYO, UYO AKWA IBOM STATE, NIGERIA. FEBRUARY, 2012 1. INTRODUCTION All human societies have medical beliefs that provide explanations for birth, death, and disease. Throughout history, illness has been attributed to witchcraft, demons, astral influence, or the will of the gods. These ideas still retain some power, with faith healing and shrines still used in some places, although the rise of scientific medicine over the past millennium has altered or replaced mysticism in most cases. The ancient Egyptians had a system of medicine that was very advanced for its time and influenced later medical traditions. The Egyptians and Babylonians both introduced the concepts of diagnosis, prognosis, and medical examination. The Hippocratic Oath, still taken by doctors today, was written in Greece in the 5th century BCE, Horstmanshoff et al (2004:7). In the medieval era, surgical practices inherited from the ancient masters were improved and then systematized in Rogerius's The Practice of Surgery. During the Renaissance, understanding of anatomy improved, and the invention of the microscope would later lead to the germ theory of disease. These advancements, along with developments in chemistry, genetics, and lab technology (such as the x-ray) led to modern medicine, O'Leary (1939:65). 2. PREHISTORIC MEDICINE Although there is no record to establish when plants were first used for...
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...HSA 500 Paper #2 Eric Tompkins Dr. Robert Lindsey Health Service Organization February 17, 2013 1. Compare the three (3) main types of health insurance in the U.S. and assess the solvency of each. Make a prediction regarding the longevity of each type over the next 30 years. Health insurance is essential because it provides people with an affordable way to stay healthy and get medical care when ill. It also protects people and their families from the high cost of health care. In some cases, medical bills can be financially devastating. The likelihood of no insurance is a real risk to many workers who may experience either phases of unemployment or jobs that do not provide health insurance benefits at all.The three most common forms of health insurance plans are fee-for-service, managed care, and consumer directed. Fee-for-service plans mean the doctor or other health care professional will be paid a fee for each health care service provided to the patient. Patients can see the doctor of their choice and either the health care professional or the patient files the claim ("Health insurance 101," 2012). There are two kinds of fee-for-service coverage: basic and major medical. Basic protection pays toward the costs of a hospital room and care while you are in the hospital. It covers some hospital services and supplies, such as x-rays and prescribed medicine. Basic coverage also pays toward the cost of surgery, whether...
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...of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), would not have been the topic of a major and serious worldwide catastrophe. Twenty years ago, people were not phased by the effects that would be caused by this ever so populating disease, and no one would have ever realized that this disease would not be curable or helped without expensive medicine. Like a simple exponential growth equation, the AIDS virus has increased victim numbers by about forty million all over the world. AIDS has also shown that it is not discriminating; it has infected all races and all heritages. The AIDS crisis extends far beyond its death toll, because more than seventy percent of the thirty-six million people with HIV/AIDS live in sub-Saharan Africa. Last year alone, the disease killed 1.5 million people in Africa. One third of these victims are between the ages of ten and twenty-four. The disease has been described as a development crisis; it is profoundly disrupting the economic and social bases of families and entire nations at a rate of infection at 16,000 per day. Without immediate action, AIDS will surpass the effect of the Black Plague that killed forty million people in the late fourteenth century. It is estimated that only ten percent of the death that this disease will cause has been seen. There are no known cures or affordable vaccines to prevent AIDS; the only option is for a program to prevent further spread of the epidemic, minimize its impact, and provide care and nurture for those...
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...Crescent Societies Control of communicable diseases 7 This measles 'jab' will help prevent this child from the consequences of measles such as pneumonia, malnutrition, blindness and brain disease. Photo:Marko Kokic,Canadian Red Cross Control of communicable diseases in emergencies Description This chapter gives an overview of common and emerging communicable disease threats among displaced populations because of natural and human-made disasters. General and disease-specific strategies for monitoring, preventing and controlling disease outbreaks are discussed. Learning objectives To review communicable diseases of public health importance; To discuss the basic principles for communicable disease control in emergency and post-conflict situations; To plan a communicable disease control programme for emergency settings; To discuss simple but effective ways of preventing outbreaks of communicable diseases; To describe how to manage specific disease outbreaks in emergency settings; To review re-emerging and other diseases that may affect displaced populations; To discuss how to monitor and evaluate communicable disease control programmes. Key competencies Identify communicable diseases of public health importance; Discuss the basic principles for communicable disease control in emergency and post-conflict situations; Discuss how to design and evaluate disease control programmes; Describe common disease control strategies including prevention, surveillance...
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...have a responsibility to distribute drugs for free or low cost in developing countries? Why is intellectual property such a big deal? What impact would South Africa’s decision to levy duties on drugs in the country have on the international distribution of drugs? Was the change that provided patent protection for pharmaceutical companies an appropriate change or a dangerous precedent? Was it necessary to relax intellectual property rules in order to ensure that adequate supplies of AIDs medications would be available for distribution in the developing world? What role to multi-national corporations have in providing funding or other assistance to international organizations such as the Global Fund? All these questions have many arguments for and against but the right answers probably lie somewhere in between. Having and providing access to affordable medication is one of the greatest challenges we face in today’s world. Many people see that pharmaceutical companies are irresponsible. The evidence is in the high prices individuals have to pay for medications. Although I don’t care for higher priced medications I do believe in the right for a business, or individual, to make money. To come up with medications it takes years of research and licensing. The pharmaceutical companies don’t want their hard work to be the basis for another company to come in and make a cheaper version and take all the profits. With the protection of a patent, the companies that make the...
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