Difference between revisions of "Illnesses of global importance/Pandemics"

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==Description:==
==Description:==


According the World Health Organization [http://www.who.int/en/ WHO], the 10 leading causes of death by broad income group for 2004 were:
In developed countries the main causes of death are coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer. These illnesses are not infectious and therefore not dangerous for the general public. But they have to be considered as the most important for the development of new drugs, as it affects the people that can affort the cost of medication most easily.


'''Low-income countries, deaths in millions and % of deaths'''<br>
In contrast to that are infectious diseases, which can be transfered from one person to another. The World Health Organization [http://www.who.int/en/ WHO], characterises three conditions responsible for the start of a pandemic:
Lower respiratory infections / 2.94 / 11.2<br>
Coronary heart disease /2.47 / 9.4<br>
Diarrhoeal diseases / 1.81 / 6.9<br>
HIV/AIDS / 1.51 / 5.7<br>
Stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases / 1.48 / 5.6<br>
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease / 0.94 / 3.6<br>
Tuberculosis / 0.91 / 3.5<br>
Neonatal infections / 0.90 / 3.4<br>
Malaria / 0.86 / 3.3<br>
Prematurity and low birth weight / 0.84 / 3.2
 
[[image:death_causes_low_income.gif]]
source: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs310/en/index4.html
   
'''Middle-income countries Deaths in millions % of deaths'''<br>
Stroke and other cerebrovascular disease / 3.47 / 14.2<br>
Coronary heart disease / 3.40 / 13.9<br>
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease / 1.80 / 7.4<br>
Lower respiratory infection / 0.92 / 3.8<br>
Trachea, bronchus, lung cancers / 0.69 / 2.9<br>
Road traffic accidents 0.67 / 2.8 / <br>
Hypertensive heart disease / 0.62 / 2.5<br>
Stomach cancer / 0.55 / 2.2<br>
Tuberculosis / 0.54 / 2.2<br>
Diabetes mellitus / 0.52 / 2.1<br>
   
'''High-income countries Deaths in millions % of deaths'''<br>
Coronary heart disease / 1.33 / 16.3<br>
Stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases / 0.76 / 9.3<br>
Trachea, bronchus, lung cancers / 0.48 / 5.9<br>
Lower respiratory infections / 0.31 / 3.8 <br>
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease / 0.29 / 3.5<br>
Alzheimer and other dementias / 0.28 / 3.4<br>
Colon and rectum cancers / 0.27 / 3.3<br>
Diabetes mellitus / 0.22 / 2.8<br>
Breast cancer / 0.16 / 2.0<br>
Stomach cancer / 0.14 / 1.8<br>
'''World Deaths in millions % of deaths'''<br>
Coronary heart disease / 7.20 / 12.2<br>
Stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases / 5.71 / 9.7<br>
Lower respiratory infections / 4.18 / 7.1<br>
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease / 3.02 / 5.1<br>
Diarrhoeal diseases / 2.16 / 3.7<br>
HIV/AIDS / 2.04 / 3.5<br>
Tuberculosis / 1.46 / 2.5<br>
Trachea, bronchus, lung cancers / 1.32 / 2.3<br>
Road traffic accidents / 1.27 / 2.2<br>
Prematurity and low birth weight / 1.18 / 2.0 <br>
 
 
 
The World Health Organization [http://www.who.int/en/ WHO], characterises three conditions responsible for the start of a pandemic:


* emergence of a disease new to a population;
* emergence of a disease new to a population;
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* agents spread easily and sustainably among humans.
* agents spread easily and sustainably among humans.


A disease or condition is not a pandemic merely because it is widespread or kills many people; it must also be infectious. That means that cancer, for example, is not classified as a pandemic as it is not infectious.
A disease or condition is not a pandemic merely because it is widespread or kills many people; it must also be infectious.


==Enablers:==
==Enablers:==
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* Evolution of the pathogen
* Evolution of the pathogen
* Failure of public health programs
* Failure of public health programs
* Increased life expectancy


==Inhibitors:==
==Inhibitors:==
Factors which weaken this driving force. (these are actually other driving forces, and you can link to them in the wiki!)
 
* Access to medical treatment
* Availability of medication
* Access to clean water
* Good general physical condition
 
==Paradigms:==
==Paradigms:==
Changes in ways of thinking about the world due to the driving force.
The fear of pandemics like the swine influenza looks disproportional compared with the actual mortality rate.
 
==Experts:==
==Experts:==


Latest revision as of 20:13, 15 September 2009

This page is under construction and edited by Peter Friedl EMBA09. In case of any questions/remarks, feel free to contact me

Description:

In developed countries the main causes of death are coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer. These illnesses are not infectious and therefore not dangerous for the general public. But they have to be considered as the most important for the development of new drugs, as it affects the people that can affort the cost of medication most easily.

In contrast to that are infectious diseases, which can be transfered from one person to another. The World Health Organization WHO, characterises three conditions responsible for the start of a pandemic:

  • emergence of a disease new to a population;
  • agents infect humans, causing serious illness; and
  • agents spread easily and sustainably among humans.

A disease or condition is not a pandemic merely because it is widespread or kills many people; it must also be infectious.

Enablers:

  • Changes in society and human demographics
  • Contamination of water supplies and food sources
  • Poor populaiton health (e.g. malnutrition)
  • International trade
  • International travel
  • Evolution of the pathogen
  • Failure of public health programs
  • Increased life expectancy

Inhibitors:

  • Access to medical treatment
  • Availability of medication
  • Access to clean water
  • Good general physical condition

Paradigms:

The fear of pandemics like the swine influenza looks disproportional compared with the actual mortality rate.

Experts:

  • World Health Organisation
  • European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Robert Koch Institut

Timing:

Current pandemics:

  • HIV / AIDS
  • Swine influenza (2009 influenza A/H1N1)


Important epidemics and pandemics through history:

  • Plague
  • Cholera
  • Typhus
  • Smallpox
  • Measles
  • Tuberculosis
  • Malaria
  • Yellow fever

Tuberculosis is still one of the most important health problems in the developing world.

Web Resources:

  • [1] WHO - World Health Organization
  • [2] ECDC - European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
  • [3] CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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