South-East Asia bears 30% of the worlds disease burden: The State of Health in South-East Asia

Over 1/3 of all new cases of tuberculosis 68% of new cases of leprosy The 11 countries that make up WHOs South-East Asia Region (SEAR) hold 26% of the worlds One out of every two people lacks access to proper population in only 5% of its land mass. This is one of sanitation the most diverse regions covered by WHO with Less than 50% of births are assisted by skilled birth member states ranging from the massive India, with attendants its population of over a billion, to the 300,000 people who live on the 1100 tiny islands of 3.5 million people living with HIV the Maldives. Its a region with countries as geographically distant from one another as the 1.2 million deaths from tobacco use each year Democratic PeoplesRepublic of Korea in the North is Over 50% of the worlds deaths due to natural from Myanmar in the South. And its a region where disasters each year there often seem to be more exceptions to the rule than there are rules themselves, as the 11 member states present a huge diversity of peoples, cultures, climates, economies and political systems. Still, perhaps the most important fact about the region is that it bears a staggering 40% of the worlds disease burden in addition to suffering over 50% of the worlds deaths due to natural disaster each year. The uniqueness of the region also extends to the types of health challenges it faces. This region has been at the epicenter of two of the worlds most dangerous emerging epidemics SARS and Avian Influenza in recent years. These emerging epidemics have driven home, to a world in which it is too easy to become complacent, the fact that communicable diseases affecting a region like South-East Asia can wreak very tangible devastation all over the world. The region also still struggles with a list of communicable diseases that are now virtually unheard of in many countries in the world. With over one-third of the worlds new tuberculosis cases and 68% of new cases of leprosy, the health situation of the region can at times read like a flashback to an earlier era. With massive numbers of people living at close quarters and only 50% of all people in the region having access to proper sanitation, the struggle to fight communicable diseases lingers on. And again, this is a struggle that, in todays age of rapid global transmission of communicable disease, can too easily spread elsewhere. Added to the regions burden of communicable diseases is the problem of non-communicable disease. Several countries in the region are among the worlds least-developed, while the others are classified as developing countries. This dramatic juxtaposition of the very poor with the relatively well-off in many SEAR countries means that the region bears a uniquely exaggerated double burden of disease. Here, diseases linked to poverty and poor sanitation have been joined by diseases like tobacco-related cancer, cardiac disease and diabetes, which are associated with relative prosperity. In essence, a region where millions still suffer from malnutrition and health problems linked to poverty has been thrown precipitously into the battleground of diseases traditionally associated with wealth. Natural disasters also strike the region with unrelenting force each year, with more than half of all global deaths due to such catastrophes taking place here. Floods and cyclones kill tens of thousands of people and affect millions each year. In the face of the extreme challenges confronting the region, the past 60 years of WHO action in South-East Asia have seen dramatic gains in improved health and health systems. In 1948, WHO first began cooperating with governments in the region, establishing offices in each of the eleven countries. WHOs South-East Asia Regional Office came into being at the same time as many of the regions member countries attained independence. This has put WHO into the unique position of being a partner to the member countries from the very start of their journey toward better health. WHO works very closely with the Health Ministries of each country to contribute to the achievement of national development goals and agendas, based on each member states Country Cooperation Strategy. In recent years, notable strides have been made in improving life expectancy and reducing overall mortality rates in the region. The majority of countries in SEAR are also on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goal target for reducing under-5 mortality. Yet there is no room for complacency. Half the countries must still make concerted efforts to reach the target for improving maternal health. Progress has also been made in reducing the prevalence of mild and moderate malnutrition. Still, much remains to be done to prevent malnutrition, especially considering the fact that human beings are far more vulnerable to the effects of disease when their immunity is compromised due to malnutrition. Health systems are also an important concern, and one that affects the regions population at every level. Budgets dedicated to health systems are extremely low throughout the region, and the health-care workforce is still very weak.

Source: World health Organization, regional office for Southeast-Asia, http://www.searo.who.int/en/Section2581/Section2583_15005.htm

Reaction:

As a conclusion, Asia particularly South-east Asia still had a poor attention in improving health since it bears 30% of the worlds disease burden. Even though these days, there were some new access to fight and prevent some communicable diseases which were already unheard to some countries, Asia still have a cases of acquiring one of those because of poor or sometimes unapplied knowledge of the people living in this continent. Health teaching must be strongly promoted and required to the Asian people in order to prevent those possible diseases that the people may acquire. Its importance should also be stressed, in able to gave awareness to those who needs it and to informed them how important to gave attention in applying proper sanitation in there everyday living. Another one is the Lifestyle its self since these days, smoking is very rampant to Asian people even teenagers were already smoking which can cause harm to them, and not only their health but also affects the health of the people around them that were considered to be a secondhand smoker. I think Government should need to make actions for that matter and avoid tolerating them. On the other hand, people also gave effort in disciplining themselves and not depend on the government since changes will starts in ourselves and not with the others.

Reaction:

Philippines had really a slow but improving health status since the government and the Filipino citizens creates an action and participation in eradicating diseases particularly those preventable one. Those strategies that was being planned and implemented by the government somehow followed by some concerned Filipinos as we try to evaluate it today. It is because they realize how important to have a prevention in acquiring diseases rather than cure. The Department of Health somehow doing a fair job in promoting health to the public. It is just there are still Filipinos who doesnt gave too much importance to health or maybe dont have enough knowledge on how important health is. Those mentioned strategies were somehow carried-out by the people by the help of government programs which is one of the reason why Philippines slowly improving its health status compared to the passed few years. But behind of this improvement, Philippines still facing new challenges in promoting and maintaining health in the country since it is expected that there will be new and worst type of diseases that may arise anytime.