MPH502 - Introduction to Public Health Module 1 - SLP - Essay Example

MPH502 - Introduction to Public Health Module SLP What is Public Health? The Goals and Values of Public Health Tuberculosis: Public Health EmergencyMagnitude, Trends and Significance of the Problem:Over the years it is seen that different diseases have emerged as a growing threat to the whole world. Previously these diseases were caused because of natural reasons but increasingly it has been found that the strains of these diseases are now being used as biological weapons. One such disease which is becoming a biological threat to the United States is Tuberculosis.

It is seen that tuberculosis is almost affecting 1.7 billion human beings all over the world and almost 1.7 million of these individuals die because of the disease. It is one of the most diseases which cause many deaths in the world. A research done on the rate of tuberculosis found that there was a rapid increase of 20% in the prevalence of tuberculosis in the United States from 1985 to 1992. HIV and Tuberculosis have also been found out to be related as it is seen in many cases that individuals have both HIV and tuberculosis together (Ferguson & Roads 2009; Robbins et al 2005).

The most common reason for the occurrence of tuberculosis is over crowdedness and sanitary problems. It is a disease which is most prevalent in the lower class society as they are more susceptible to unhygienic living. The bacterium M.Tuberculosis is the most common strain which affects the human beings with Tuberculosis in the United States.Policies, Solutions and Implementations: The dangers posed by the disease Tuberculosis have been realized by many of the organizations worldwide and these organizations have taken preventative measures to ensure that the class of human being remains safe from this disease.

World Health Organization is one of these organizations which are taking strict measures to save the world from such an endemic. It is designing new technologies and investing in projects which would provide new treatments of TB to the whole world. They are developing a strategy which would ensure that people with tuberculosis are diagnosed with the disease even before the disease gets active. Specific conditions have been set out by the organization under which it is necessary for the health care professionals to test the individual for any positive signs of Tuberculosis.

This early diagnosis would help with the definitive treatment of tuberculosis. Moreover a vaccine is also available for tuberculosis known as the BCG vaccine and this also helps to prevent the onset of tuberculosis in many infants (Ferguson & Roads 2009; Upshur et al 2009). The organization is recommending ways through which the infection can be controlled. This can be useful in preventing the spread of tuberculosis to the health care professionals themselves. Similarly the organization is also trying to curb upon the root of the onset of tuberculosis which is poverty and hygiene.

The organization is trying to address these issues to the general public and is trying to aware the whole country about the problems that they face because of poverty. If poverty is completely removed from a country then it is possible that the prevalence rate of tuberculosis would fall by a great percentage (Upshur et al 2009). Research is being carried out on the strains of tuberculosis to find out how they are working and what the possible treatment for that strain would be. The researchers are trying to design a new set of drugs which would help in the treatment of the disease and would help to fight the new strains which have become resistant over time to the old antibiotics.

Research is also being done on vaccines so that tuberculosis is prevented from the very beginning of a life (Upshur et al 2009).Bibliography:Ferguson, Laurie Anne & Roads, Jacqueline. Multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis: The new face of an old disease. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners; Nov2009, Vol. 21 Issue 11, p603-609, 7p, 2 charts.Kumar, Vinay, Abul K. Abbas, Nelson Fausto, Stanley L. Robbins, and Ramzi S. Cotran. Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease.

Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders, 2005.Upshur, Ross, Singh, J. & Ford, N. Apocalypse or redemption: Responding to extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis. Bulletin of the World Health Organization; June2009, Vol. 87 Issue 6, p481-483, 3p, 1 chart.