This week we are exploring changing trends in mortality and morbidity associated with infectious diseases, neglected diseases, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, and epidemics and pandemics. I will not be able to attend class tomorrow night because of a family commitment. Here are my thoughts on some of this week's background resources:
Backgrounder Video: Epidemics and Pandemics - Early Detection, Early Response (27 minutes) (available at: http://tedblog.typepad.com/tedblog/files/larrybrilliant.html )
Larry Brilliant gave a great presentation highlighting where we went right in winning the battle against smallpox. As stated in his presentation, it basically boiled down to a door-to-door surveillence campaign. I was struck by the magnitude of the campaign when it was put into perspective as being the largest in UN history until the Iraq war. This statement made me think about the current AIDS epidemic. If I am understanding Dr. Brilliant's statement correctly, this means the UN is putting more into the Iraq war campaign than AIDS. The injustice of this hit home even more when I watched the background video on AIDS orphans (available at: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7678580226115493904&q=AIDS+orphans&hl=en ).It is my sincere hope that in my lifetime we will come together as a global community and decide enough is enough with regards to the AIDS epidemic and put the same magnitude of effort into AIDS that was put into the successful elimination of smallpox. Perhaps Dr. Brilliant's vision for INSTEDD can be adapted in include AIDS.
Case study: Avian Flu - Preparing for a Pandemic
It is clear from the readings and 1918 Spanish flu video (available at: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7423997674238499075&q=1918+influenza&hl=en ) that pandemic avian flu is a real threat. We know that the devastating Spanish flu of 1918 was also a bird flu, so we already have precendence for human-human transmision of an avian flu. Dr. Brilliant also commented on pandemic bird flu in his presentation, stating that avain flu can be all-over the world within 3 weeks because travel is getting better. However, we don't know how long it will be until the threat of a avian flu becomes a reality. I agree that we need to put resources towards being prepared so that we detect and respond early to avian flu, but the amount of resources put into avian flu needs to be balanced with public health issues that are claiming lives today - like AIDS, childhood diarrhea, malnutrition, etc. What do you think ?
I look forward to hearing our added insights to my thoughts based on tomorrow nights class discussion.
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4 comments:
I agree with you that the distribution of financial resources (War vs AIDS) is heartbreaking. AIDS seems to hover in the limelight but it lacks the urgency seen with smallpox. Perhaps since AIDS does not disfigure and takes longer to kill, people are more willing to be swept away by current issues such as war. That would also tie in with your comment about balancing the need to prepare for a pandemic with other contemporary health issues. Its seems obvious what needs to be done but for some reason we still can't convince others to follow our lead. I wish I had an answer to this.
Hopefully there is something we can do about the AIDS pandemic, Even we are much more advance than in the past ten years there is still not clear evidence htan in a near future we are going to erradicate it. But I think your comment is appropiate, It is clear whre are the priorities now. That is even more sad than the fact that we can do something to stop the pandemic or at least put every resort we have and we decide not to do it.
Aren't those TED videos amazing? I would love to go to one of those conferences. I definitely think that AIDS is a current pandemic that has the potential to do a lot more damage than it has already caused. In terms of allocating funding for various programs, I think that is the ever present dilemma of countries, and various health organizations. Although I would also like to point out, as I did in my presentation last week, a lot of the means for the preparation of a possible Avian flu pandemic is useful for other disasters.
I honestly think that the reason that the global community has not yet tackled the pandemic of AIDS is the fact of who it is affecting most. Yes, it does affect people in developed countries, but which people? Mostly the poor and uneducated now days. The people who have the power, the wealthy and educated in developed countries, are not really touched by the AIDS pandemic anymore. It is not like smallpox that could very easily infect anyone, rich or poor. Therefore, developed countries have no real economic interest, in my opinion (mind you I have no background in economics so this could be completely wrong) for erradicating a disease that does not really affect them. Thus, though many people do realize the need and urgency to address the pandemic of AIDS, it seems to me that most people in power do not.
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