Global Health Issues - Environmental Health - Essay Example

What could be the cause of global water quality? Population growth is more often than not associated with poverty, while both population growth and poverty have been linked to increased levels of pollution in the environment resulting in reduced environmental health levels (Friis, 2012). The effects of pollution in America are clearly evidenced by unsafe drinking water in some parts of the country this is due to the toxic chemicals that have managed to leach into the water system from the disposal sites. Water pollution is evidenced by signs posted all over the beaches warning people not to enter into the water at certain points as a result of sewage water contamination (Friis, 2012).

In my own experience, and according to my own research on the issue at hand, I think it would be vital for the author to mention the relationship between population growth, poverty, and pollution. It is also apparent that there seems to be a direct correlation between pollution, population, and poverty. These three are now commonly referred to as the three Ps.

Vaccine-Preventable Communicable Diseases (Small Pox)

What is the effective method of dealing with communicable diseases? I support the opinion that immunization has played an immense role in reducing the mortality levels among children resulting from infections caused by vaccine communicable diseases. A good example of this is the total eradication of smallpox globally with the last naturally occurring case of smallpox being reported in Somalia in 1977 (Ollhoff, 2010).

Though as reported in the report that measles levels have decreased by 74% globally, it should be pointed out that countries like Somalia still suffer from high cases of measles as can be seen by the measles outbreak reported in the country late last year. Vaccination programs are seriously impeded by the insecurity in the country where factors like both the lack of a government and, the various warring factions are making it difficult for any vaccination program to be implemented.

The United Nations in conjunction with the WHO should make more concentrated efforts in trying to establish peace in the war-ravaged countries of the world. This is because of the strife in these countries is adversely affecting the communicable diseases immunization projects. Efforts to obtain data on disease control in such countries are also being immensely affected (Ollhoff, 2010).

Vaccine-Preventable Communicable Diseases (Influenza)

Can the efforts by WHO comprehensively solve the issue of Influenza? From the posting by Lisa Jones on Vaccine-preventable diseases and specifically Influenza, it is clear that the World Health Organization is doing a lot in terms of providing Influenza vaccines in the temperate countries and especially during the winter season to the influenza infection high-risk groups comprising mostly of young, the elderly and people whose immune systems are weak. In my opinion, the posting should have made mention of the recent influenza pandemics of the avian influenza A (H5N1) virus also commonly referred to as bird flu that caused quite a scare several years ago and the swine flu (H1N1 influenza) which spread through North America and other scattered parts of the globe. These two were declared to be pandemics by the World Health Organization. It should also be mentioned that there are claims by experts that the American Health care system will be overwhelmed in the event of a pandemic. Though a lot has been done to try and mitigate the effects of a pandemic happens to break out, it is probably still not enough (Sterling & Sterling, 2006).