No longer are we safe at home. The United States tends to be very good
at getting treatment for the sick and following the appropriate protocols when
it comes to infectious diseases but it seems that some other countries may not
be following our example.
A New York Times article "Coping With Infectious Disease," written by the Editorial
Board in late February, talks about how the spreading of disease from country
to country even continent to continent is increasing dangerously. A respiratory disease known as SARS
broke out in China, which was purposely not reported. These infected people were allowed to travel, spreading the disease,
and killing 800 people. One
hundred and ninety six countries back in 2005 signed an agreement to report
infectious outbreaks. As seen in
China many countries have not fully complied and have failed to report cases
and outbreaks. Other diseases have
spread from country to country endangering thousands as well. The Ebola virus spread from Africa to
parts of the United States and drug resistant Tuberculosis and Chikungunya
Fever from Africa have spread to Asia, Europe, and even the Caribbean. New strains of the Avian Flu in China
are worried to spread, along with a lung disease, MERS, from the Middle East.
The CDC spends 40 million dollars a year to
prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Though many countries agree to report outbreaks for
the better of the world some of their words do not seem to be trustworthy. It makes me question the morals and
priorities of our fellow man. What
could be more important than the health of our world? I understand people have major commitments but when it comes
to life and death a vacation or business meeting can be rescheduled. To spread the disease to your town is horrible enough but to
get onto a plane and risk spreading it to a new country or continent is inexcusable. All I can hope is that people will
start to look at the big picture and realize how dangerous infectious diseases
are and how devastating they can be. As the article said:
“Diseases know no borders, and a
health crisis in one country could, without control, become our own.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/22/opinion/coping-with-infectious-disease.html?action=click&module=Search®ion=searchResults%230&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry497%23%2Finfectious%252520disease%2F&_r=0
I think this is is very important information for people to know and to take into consideration. I think we often overlook other countries actions in relation to diseases because we are spoiled by the way the USA reacts to illnesses. This article contained a lot of information as to what countries are doing that we find surprising. I find it appalling that a person with an illness that is threatening to others would be allowed to travel and spread the disease they are carrying. I also think of germ warfare. If other countries know about diseases that are active in their country, they can use that information to kill many people. This article contained vital information that people need to know about. This information is also not shared as much as I think it should be.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting and alarming article. We've studied before in class how quickly a disease can spread through transcontinental travel. The Plague managed to spread across most of the known world when there wasn't even cars or trains to help it along. With modern technology like airplanes, the exploding population of humans on the planet, and the increase in antibiotic resistant bacteria, it's even more important to contain disease outbreaks when they occur. For me as well, it's appalling that a country would even consider not reporting an outbreak.
ReplyDeleteI think this article shows that people need to report diseases in their country to stop the spreading from other countries to other continents. I think its inexcusable for countries to not let the other countries know that their is an infectious disease there, and then allow the people to travel to or from that country. They are not only endangering people in their country but people in other countries or continents too. I agree with Linda and I think it's also appalling that a country would not report an outbreak. Amy, I agree with you, I hope in the future people start to look at the big picture.
ReplyDeleteThis article is very eye opening and makes some points that are not often thought about (by me, at least). It is that obvious disease knows no borders, but I dont often think about the fact that were are so susceptible all the time. It is upsetting that some countries are plain and simple just not reporting these outbreaks. I agree with the point you made about world health being a top priority and the true insignificance of a business meeting. There is a clear trade off for international travel; it has changed our culture by allowing us to travel the world, but definitely puts us at a higher risk for disease outbreak.
ReplyDeleteI found this article to be fairly alarming and make me think more about how infectious disease could potentially infect me and people in my area. I definitely think that those who travel should be cautious while they are in a foreign country so that they do not pick up a disease and accidentally bring it back here. The CDC works so hard to keep everyone safe, but people being ignorant or not caring about the well-being of others could hurt many. I was also unaware of the diseases that are currently an issue like Avian Flu in China and Ebola Virus in Africa.
ReplyDeleteThe modern technology that we have today in terms of the ability to travel makes getting anywhere in the world infinitely easier. Although this is beneficial for the spread of culture and ideas, it is also prominent in the spread of disease. With countries not reporting epidemic diseases, like the example in this article, a pandemic could easily be started. The fact that people are more concerned with their own country than the health of the world is rather concerning. People need to realize the true effects of actions like that.
ReplyDelete