All articles tagged with #preventable diseases
Florida is attempting to weaken childhood vaccine mandates, driven by Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, raising concerns among health professionals that this could lead to increased outbreaks of preventable diseases and reflect a broader trend of science skepticism influencing public health policy.
A new report by UNICEF marks a historic moment as the number of children dying before their 5th birthday has dropped below 5 million for the first time, with significant progress in countries like Malawi, Rwanda, Cambodia, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan. However, despite the positive trend, there is still much work to be done, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia where child mortality rates remain high due to preventable and treatable conditions. Inequalities within countries, such as urban-rural divides and disparities in wealth and education, also impact child mortality. While interventions like community health workers have shown success, more efforts are needed to address newborn care and ensure continued health investments to further reduce child mortality.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that the rate of childhood vaccine exemptions in the U.S. has reached an all-time high, with 3% of children entering kindergarten during the 2022-2023 school year granted a vaccine exemption. This increase reflects a growing distrust in the healthcare system and coincides with doubts about COVID-19 vaccines. The report also highlights stagnant vaccination rates among young children, with coverage remaining at 93% compared to the pre-pandemic rate of 95%. Experts express concern that this trend leaves hundreds of thousands of children vulnerable to preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough.
A study published in Pediatrics reveals that approximately 17 percent of toddlers in the United States are not receiving all the necessary doses of early-childhood vaccinations, leaving them vulnerable to preventable diseases. The incomplete vaccination not only puts the children at risk but also hampers the development of herd immunity at a population level. Reasons for incomplete vaccination include family moves, insurance problems, lack of transportation, parental hesitancy, and being from lower-income households or large families. To address this issue, researchers suggest implementing reminder-recall systems, making vaccines available in alternative locations, and raising awareness about support for low-income families.
Public healthcare in Afghanistan has never been adequate, and foreign money which almost entirely funded it was frozen in August 2021 when the Taliban seized power. Over the past 20 months, hospitals and clinics across the country have collapsed. The Taliban's recent ban on women working for NGOs means it's becoming harder for humanitarian agencies to operate, putting even more children and babies at risk. Every day, 167 children die in Afghanistan from preventable diseases, according to the UN children's fund Unicef - illnesses that could and should be cured with the right medication.
A new analysis from NORC at the University of Chicago shows that more than 4 in 10 U.S. adults are obese, with states in the South and Midwest showing some of the highest prevalence. Obesity is associated with preventable, premature death, and disproportionately impacts Black and Hispanic Americans. Doctors are prescribing a new class of weight-loss drugs in record numbers despite questions about their long-term effects and a hefty price tag. Obesity rates are determined in part by using Body Mass Index ranges, which have been called into question for correlating weight and health too closely.