Student: Patrinjei Bogdan Alexandru
TD. Anul II . Gr.II
Universitatea de Vest "Vasile Goldiş" din Arad
Facultatea de Medicina Dentara
Profesor : STANCUTA DIMA LAZA
Is there a link between poverty and poor health (how does poverty
contribute to poor health )
Key Facts: Poverty and Poor Health
What links poverty and poor health?
Poverty and poor health worldwide are inextricably linked. The causes of poor health
for millions globally are rooted in political, social and economic injustices. Poverty is
both a cause and a consequence of poor health. Poverty increases the chances of poor
health. Poor health, in turn, traps communities in poverty. Infectious and neglected
tropical diseases kill and weaken millions of the poorest and most vulnerable people
each year.
What other links are there between poverty and poor health?
The economic and political structures which sustain poverty and discrimination need to be
transformed in order for poverty and poor health to be tackled.
Marginalised groups and vulnerable individuals are often worst affected, deprived of the
information, money or access to health services that would help them prevent and treat
disease.
Very poor and vulnerable people may have to make harsh choices – knowingly putting their
health at risk because they cannot see their children go hungry, for example.
The cultural and social barriers faced by marginalised groups – including indigenous
communities – can mean they use health services less, with serious consequences for their
health. This perpetuates their disproportionate levels of poverty.
The cost of doctors’ fees, a course of drugs and transport to reach a health centre can be
devastating, both for an individual and their relatives who need to care for them or help them
reach and pay for treatment. In the worst cases, the burden of illness may mean that families
sell their property, take children out of school to earn a living or even start begging.
The burden of caring is often taken on by a female relative, who may have to give up her
education as a result, or take on waged work to help meet the household’s costs. Missing out
on education has long-term implications for a woman’s opportunities later in life and for her
own health.
Overcrowded and poor living conditions can contribute to the spread of airborne diseases such
as tuberculosis and respiratory infections such as pneumonia. Reliance on open fires or
traditional stoves can lead to deadly indoor air pollution. A lack of food, clean water and
sanitation can also be fatal.
Which infectious diseases are the main killers worldwide?
HIV, diarrhoea, tuberculosis and malaria, as well as communicable respiratory
diseases such as pneumonia kill the most people. Diarrhoea, pneumonia and malaria
account for nearly half of all child deaths globally.
Neglected tropical diseases affect over one billion people, almost all in the poorest
and most marginalised communities. You may not have heard of diseases such as
leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted
helminths and trachoma, but they can cause severe pain and life-long disabilities –
and mean enormous productivity losses. However, efforts to tackle them have usually
taken a back seat to the bigger killers.
Which are the most deadly non-communicable illnesses worldwide?
The biggest non-communicable killers are maternal and newborn deaths and deaths
related to poor nutrition, cardiovascular disease and non-communicable respiratory
diseases.
How do disease and infection affect economic growth?
Lives lost mean reduced economic productivity as well as personal tragedy. Productivity is
further slowed while people are ill or caring for others. There were 1.7 HIV-related deaths in
2007 and 990 thousand deaths from tuberculosis. Most of these were among young people and
adults in their most productive years.
In heavily affected countries billions of dollars of economic activity are lost each year as a
result of illness and death from HIV, TB and malaria. This can seriously reduce economic
growth in countries that are already struggling. Malaria reduces economic growth by 1.3% in
heavily affected countries, and costs around $12 billion in lost GDP across Africa. TB costs
around 7% of GDP in the worst affected countries.
How has the global community responded?
World leaders and international organisations have slowly woken up to the impact of
the most prevalent infectious diseases. The World Health Organisation has declared
TB, HIV and malaria global emergencies. Reducing the spread and treating HIV, TB,
malaria, and other diseases is also one of the Millennium Development Goals.
However, as well as tackling specific diseases, it is crucial that leaders also address
the underlying causes. It is widely accepted that the key reason for the increase in life
expectancy in wealthy countries in the late 19th and early 20th century was less to do
with the leaps forward in medical science, and more to do with the arrival of better
nutrition, clean water and sanitation.
Reducing poverty, improving nutrition and making sure people have access to safe
water and sanitation, as well as strengthening national health systems, is of the utmost
importance. Otherwise tackling one particular threat simply leaves people open to
another deadly disease soon afterward.
Tackling the structural causes of poverty and poor health, for example calling for
measures to tackle inequality and injustices such as corporate tax evasion, are central
to what is needed from the global community.
