Poverty Princesses

DISEASE and HEALTH SERVICES

Many people in poverty stricken countries like Southeast Asia, Africa, South America and many other countries, are vulnerable to illnesses and diseases such as Malaria, Schistosomiasis, Leprosy, Filariasis (Filaria), Trypanosomiasis, and Leishmaniasis.  Poverty related illnesses in the world's low income earning countries occur for a number of reasons including: lack of health education, limited access to health services, poor nutrition, poor hygiene, air pollution and limited access to clean water and proper sanitation. Most of the diseases that occur in low income/poverty strciken countries are either preventable or treatable with existing medicines.

Many countries in poverty are also exposed to the natural elements and get weather conditions like severe Monsoons and Hurricanes.  These destroy the flimsy and unstable shelter of the poor. Hundreds of people in countries such as Laos, Vietnam, and Aphganistan, are either homeless, or living in homes the size of double beds, which may have to fit up to four to six people. It is not often that once their homes are destroyed they’ll find a new home straight away. When homes are destroyed people are more greatly exposed to many diseases transmitted through mosquitoes or other water borne illnesses.

Most of the diseases below are either preventable or treatable, unfortunately those living in poverty are much more likely to contract and die from many of the below diseases.

Diseases in Third World Countries

Malaria

Each year, more than 300 million cases of Malaria are diagnosed, and more than 1.5 million die from this disease. Recently, Malaria has become more difficult to control and treat because the parasites that cause Malaria have become resistant to the drugs used to get rid off Malaria.

Malaria’s symptoms are chills, shakes and can cause intense fever.  Malaria is known to be caused by the bite of infectious mosquitoes. Humans can also develop Malaria if a friend, family member, animal or someone they don’t know already has the disease.

After repeated infections, people who live in regions where Malaria is prevalent, develop a limited immunity to the disease. It does not protect people from developing Malaria again but does protect them against the most serious effects of the infection. People in poverty are more prone to contracting malaria because they can't afford the drugs to treat it. They also aren't good at taking precautions with mosquito nets etc to ensure that they don't get bitten by mosquitoes to start off with.

 Schistosomiasis

Schistosomiasis or Bilharziasis is a widespread disease that is caused by Blood Flukes. In many Tropical countries, Schistosomiasis causes many dangerous diseases; it rarely produces disease in Temperate Countries.

Untreated Schistosomiasis often results in death. The first line of attack is preventive. This includes proper sanitation and extermination of snails. Until 1982, none of the drugs available were highly effective and had severe side effects. Then, a drug called Praziquantel became widely available ifPraziquantel is taken orally, in one dose or several doses on the same day it helps cure the disease with no serious side effects. 

 Leprosy 

Leprosy (or Hansen's Disease) is caused by the bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae and only affects the cooler, surface areas of the skin.  Leprosy causes irreversible nerve damage, burns and lack of sensation in affected areas of the skin.

An old treatment for Leprosy was a painful injection with severe side affects called Promin. Patients with leprosy would have to undergo several years of painful daily injections. Later this drug waseplaced  with oral doses of a related drug called Dapsone. 
In the mid-1980’s strains of Leprosy became resistant to the drug and the disease once again became more wide spread. A multi-drug therapy (a combination of several medications) became necessary to treat the disease. Three drugs are currently available to treat Leprosy; Rifampin, Clofazimine and Dapsone. You need to take the drugs for a long period of time, typically six months. 

Unfortunately for those living in poverty situations undergo such a long treatment cycle isn't easy. They often feel depressed and tired so don't always stick to medication plans to help cure their disease. 

Trypanosomiasis

Trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, is a chronic disease caused by a protozoan blood parasite. This disease lives In cattle and other animals and is transmitted in the salivary glands of infected tsetse flies. 

Sleeping sickness is very common in Africa. It begins with a chancre at the site of the insect bite, an accelerated heartbeat, an enlargement of the spleen, and rash and fever. Over the next few months the nervous system is attacked, with accompanying mood changes, sleepiness, lack of appetite, eventual coma, and, frequently, death. 

In early stages, African sleeping sickness can be alleviated by the administration of various antiparasitic drugs; treatment in later stages with arsenic-containing drugs is less likely to be effective.

Leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis, is any of several parasitic diseases caused by microscopic protozoans  and is transmitted by sandflies.

Leishmaniasis occurs in two main forms: visceral, in which various internal organs are affected, and cutaneous, in which the disease is apparent mainly in the skin. Leishmaniasis occurs in the Mediterranean region, Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. There are 2 million cases of leishmaniasis annually.

In 1994 Indian researchers discovered a cheap and effective way of keeping sandfly populations under control, by plastering the walls of houses and outbuildings with mud and lime. The plaster deprives flies of the moist crevices in which they breed, and the lime kills any existing larvae. In trials, sandfly numbers dropped by 90 percent.

Other Diseases

There are a number of other diseases affecting people in poverty not mentioned above and these include tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, polio, measles, diarrhoeal and respiratory infections.
The interesting things if these diseases occur in developed wealthy countries most people recover from their illness, however people who contract the diseases in low income countries are much more likely to die from their disease.

References

'Diseases of Poverty and the 10/90 Gap' http://www.who.int/intellectualproperty/submissions/InternationalPolicyNetwork.pdf

Encarta Reference Library 2005

'Tropical Diseases', http://www.tropicaldisease.org/

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