Global Health and Infectious Diseases

It's fair to say the overwhelming majority of us don't think twice about what happens to our excrement once we flush it down the toilet. The flushing toilet has revolutionised sanitation and saved millions of lives but it also requires a level of infrastructure which many countries are unable to provide. An estimated 2.5 billion people do not have access to proper sanitation and diarrhoea is responsible for over 1.5 million deaths in children under 5 every year. 

Mass Drug Administration (MDA) involves treating all the residents in a particular area for an infectious disease which they may or may not have. MDA campaigns have been central to addressing the problem of Neglected Tropical Diseases; a group whose members include lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis. Lymphatic filariasis is responsible for an enormous amount of morbidity across many parts of Africa. It is primarily spread by Wurcheria bancrofti, a worm which occupies the human lymphatic system leading to elephantiasis of the extremeties. The drugs used in MDA campaigns are safe, cheap (in most cases free), easy to administer and incredibly effective at reducing prevalence in the reservoir population i.e. humans. 

Tanzanian UN troops patrol on Nov. 3, in Kimbumba. Democratic Republic of Congo's army on Monday pounded the remaining hilltop positions of M23 rebels in the country's troubled east despite a truce call by the beleaguered insurgents. (Junior D. Kannah/AFP/Getty Images) #

A man, displaced by fighting between the Congolese army and M23 rebels, erects a shelter in a field with other displaced families in the Ugandan town of Bunagana, west of capital Kampala, Oct. 31. (James Akena /Reuters) #

The recent Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia was closely monitored by the WHO to ensure that the MERS-coronavirus didn't spread amongst pilgrims who would then carry it back to their home countries across the world. This year's Hajj also marked the first time that Saudi officials demanded proof of polio vaccination for all pilgrims as polio continues to re-emerge across war torn Syria and the horn of Africa. Eradication requires constant vaccination of susceptible populations which is often difficult during times of conflict and political instability creating a precocious situation whereby this and many other vaccine preventable diseases is are presented with an opportunity to gain a foothold across the world once again. 

A vending machine, brought inland by a tsunami, is seen in a abandoned rice field inside the exclusion zone at the coastal area near Minamisoma in Fukushima prefecture, Sept. 21. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters) #

A woman, who came for a brief visit to her home, walks under a sign reading "Nuclear Power - The Energy for a Better Future," at the entrance of the empty Futaba town, inside the exclusion zone in Fukushima prefecture Sept. 22. Decades ago, the citizens of Japan's Futaba town took such pride in hosting part of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex that they built a sign over a promenade proclaiming that atomic power made their town prosperous. Now, they are scattered around Japan with no clear sign of when they might return to their homes. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters) #

People gather around very limited power source to charge their mobile phones in Calape, Philippines Oct. 17, two days after a 7.2-magnitude quake hit Bohol and Cebu provinces. The earthquake that killed more than a hundred people in the central Philippines also took its toll on the region's historical and religious legacy by heavily damaging a dozen or more churches, some centuries old. (Kiko Rosario/Associated Press) #

As populations across the world get older and larger the need for trained doctors continues to increase at a level medical schools are unable to keep up with. By 2020 it is estimated that the US will have a shortfall of 45,000 doctors. Such staggering figures need to be addressed and the revolution in Big Data may provide some of the answers. IBM's Watson supercomputer has already proven itself to be a highly versatile supercomputer but can it apply its massive computing power to effectively and efficiently diagnose patients in real time?

Anaesthesia was originally developed by dentists eager to find a way to perform tooth extractions without causing the patient unimaginable pain. On October 16, 1846 William T.G. Morton was the first doctor to effectively utilise anaesthesia for a surgical procedure but his quest for fame and fortune became his downfall. 

Commodity booms are usually swiftly followed by an increase in crime, drugs and infectious diseases as people flock to small, rural towns eager to grab a slice of the prospective wealth. Prostitutes seeking to earn large amounts of money provide a service to men who are either single or have been forced to migrate to make money for their family exposing them to a litany of sexually transmitted diseases.  

A handout picture made early December 2012 in Gourma Rharous near Timbuktu and released by the NGO Islamic relief on December 12 shows women holding their childs during a distribution of food from the UN World Food Programme by workers of Islamic relief Picture: AFP

When you are taught molecular biology you are told over and over again that you inherit your DNA from your parents and this is constant throughout your life. Epigentics sought to add a level of complexity to this recipe by suggesting that the lifestyle led by your parents' parents would also affect how the genes encoded by RNA derived from your DNA was expressed. Recent research suggests that even your own individual lifestyle impacts on how these genes are expressed adding an extra level of complexity and plasticity to your DNA. “Your experiences today will influence the molecular composition of your body for the next two to three months, or, perhaps, for the rest of your life. Plan your day accordingly.” 

Impoverished societies tend to have larger families as they fear some of their children will prematurely die due to childhood illness, conflict or lack of resources. Richer societies tend to have smaller families allowing them to provide more resources for fewer humans. This story tells the story of Mechai Viravaidya, a Thai politician who revolutionised the use of contraceptives and the practice of safe sex in Thailand. His numerous novel initiatives have been credited with dramatically decreasing the spread of HIV among Thailand's booming sex tourism industry whilst also reducing family size which in turn has allowed Thailand's local and national economies to grow and prosper.  

Prior to reading this article I had never heard of Dr. Sara Josephine Baker but her groundbreaking work on maternal health has been responsible for saving hundreds of thousands of lives across the world. One of the really interesting points mentioned in this article focuses on how Dr. Baker's interest in maternal and child healthcare seems to have developed as a result of being forced to retake a course she failed during her time at medical school.

Pakistani shopkeepers read the Quran for people who lost their lives in a car explosion in Peshawar, Pakistan, Sept. 30. A deadly car bomb exploded on a crowded street in northwestern Pakistan Sept. 29 in the third blast to hit the troubled city of Peshawar in a week, officials said. (Mohammad Sajjad/Associated Press) #

A Pakistani girl plays on the doorway of a house which was destroyed in Tuesday's earthquake, in the remote district of Awaran in Baluchistan province, Pakistan, on Sept. 27. Desperate Pakistani villagers in remote areas hit by the massive earthquake this week said they are still waiting for government aid to reach them. (Shakil Adil/Associated Press) #