Society’s Response to Disease

1. Society’s Response to Disease Chapter 10

2. How disease Affect Society • In the past, many people died from disease because they did not understand how it was spread • Example: European explores brought many things to the ‘New World,’ including terrible diseases such as: small pox and tuberculosis • Many Aboriginal people died because they had never been exposed to these diseases and had no understanding of them The death of the Aboriginals almost whipped out an entire culture. With fewer hunters, more people starved. The elderly, which were affected the most, could not pass on their customs and traditions, and females died so fewer aboriginal children were being born

3. Pandemic Disease • Smallpox and tuberculosis are pandemic diseases • Pandemic diseasesare diseases that are extremely difficult to control and affect a large portion of the population over a large geographical area • Today, diseases such as AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) are having a similar impact on African society • AIDS is a communicable virus that is spread through blood, sexual fluids, and breast mix and is usually passed on when people have unprotected sex. • http://www.amfar.org/cgi-bin/iowa/abouthiv/record.html?record=3&gclid=CNng1JK2jYgCFQU8YQodyQFQBw

4. Epidemic Diseases • Epidemic diseases are those diseases that are not so widespread. Usually they affect many people in a local area at the same time • Every year there are flu bug epidemics that can not be controlled • The SARS epidemic was a recent example of an epidemic disease • -see pg. 178-179 of the Science 24 text book • Social conditions such as: overcrowded cities, unsanitary living conditions/water/food, poor diets, long works days, poor personal hygiene and education, and other stress have played a key role in creating massive pandemic and epidemic diseases.

5. The Beginning of Public Health • Many of the past plagues were caused and passed on by cats and vermin such as, rats and mice. • One way the bubonic plague was stopped was by cleansing the streets of human waste, sewage, and animals, and creating healthy drinking water. People worked together to develop healthy communities and this was the beginning of public health. Soon after that Governments took over this responsibility and created laws to ensure and enforce that clean and sanitary conditions were kept.

6. Improving Human Health • Health programs came to Canada after World War I in 1918. • In 1919, the Canadian government established its first department of health. Today, these health departments are provincially run and are called the Regional Health Authority. Theydo thing such as: monitor the safety of drinking water, checking the pollutants, and taking measure to avoid outbreaks of disease

7. Regional Health Authority • This department does a variety of thing to ensure public health • 1) Checking Water Quality: • Water is tested on a regular basis to ensure safe drinking/bathing/swimming/cooking water • Water treatment • See-pg.186- Walkerton Water Tragedy • http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/walkerton/ 2) Air Quality: - Air Quality Index (see pg. 182) helps tell the public how safe the air that they are breathing is -constant monitoring of the air occurs to ensure there isn’t too much pollutants in the atmosphere

8. 3) Removal of Garbage: • Landfill sites are formed to prevent waste material from harming the environment or entering water systems • 3 Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle. 4) Treatment of Human and Animal Waste: -Sewage treatment plants: Harmful solid waste is removed using helpful bacteria, then the leftover water is treated -In the Prairies, such as Alberta, large-scale livestock producers treat animal manure

9. 5) Mass vaccinations: • Vaccinations are small injections of disease. These serve to help protect you from major diseases. • In Canada, babies are given vaccinations for whooping cough, mumps, tetanus, polio, measles, rubella, diphtheria, etc. • Usually if you travel to other countries you are required to get vaccinations for things such as: yellow fever, typhoid fever, hepatitis. Check local health facilities • Public health officials often develop new vaccinations to respond to new outbreaks of disease and prevent epidemic outbreaks • Meningitis, avian flu virus? 6) Food Safety: -Food inspectors check dining facilities, meat packing plants, and grocery stores to ensure proper handling techniques are used -Media alerts

10. Public Health and You • Vaccinations have helped reduce the number of people that are killed by communicable diseases • Some diseases have been ‘completely’ eliminated from the earth due to vaccinations, such as smallpox -BUT, this does not mean that vaccinations is the answer to removing communicable disease, the next big step is YOU. -Diseases are not going away, many drug resistant diseases are still being spread, one way to prevent the spread is by looking at the the key factors that cause the spread of disease and altering your lifestyles to help decrease the chances of outbreak -See Table 10.1 on pg.184 of the Science 24 Textbook Question: What are the 6 Key Factors that contribute to outbreak of disease?

11. Health Warnings • Health Authorities will release warnings to alert the public if there are major health concerns • These Health Warnings include: • Food recalls: all product are removed from store shelves. Media will explain danger and explain what to do • i.e.- E.Coli in the packaged spinach salad • Boil-water advisories: if drinking water is unsafe, authorities will tell you to boil it. Why boil water? • Mass Vaccinations: health officials will provide free vaccinations to those people who are likely to get disease. Who do you think are those people that will get the vaccinations? Flu bug vaccinations • Road Safety: In order to protect people who ride bikes or drive vehicles, public health authorities provide information on how to be safe while operating a vehicle • Helmut safety in Elementary schools, Child carseat awareness

12. Personal Actions • YOU as aware citizens should take steps to help prevent disease, outbreaks, and death • Some steps to consider are: • 1) Protect your own health: personal hygiene, get vaccinations, stay informed about health advisories • 2) Make wise lifestyle choices: exercise, have a healthy balanced diet, avoid smoking, drugs and alcohol, avoid or be safe about sex, etc • 3) Adopt safe practices: wash your hands, wear bike helmets, buckle up, drive safe, practice safe sex, etc -YOUR choices will always affect yourself and others around you!!  The Butterfly Effect