The world has many problems, especially when it comes health, given how many epidemics there are and how many appear every year, so we decided it was best to check out which were the 10 biggest health problems in the world in 2016.
Some global health threats pop up without as much as a warning, while others have been there for a long time and a proper solution hasn’t yet been found. These health issues are some that need to be resolved, the sooner the better, problems that if left unresolved could cause quite a few problems on a much larger scale.
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Over the years there have been multiple outbreaks, including for diseases such as Ebola or, this year, Zika, which was so big at the time that it has been included in the 10 Biggest Headlines of 2016 as well. Some of those outbreaks come out of nowhere, take the world by storm, die down a bit but not always completely. We took a look at IntraHealth International who published a list at the beginning of the year regarding big health issues that threaten the world this year and checked to see what had happened over the months that have passed.
So, without further ado, here are the 10 biggest health problems in the world in 2016.
10. Ebola survivors
A few years after the Ebola outbreak in West Africa there are now more survivors of the virus than ever. Thought to have been spread by bats, the Ebola virus outbreak originated in Guinea. While the virus had been around for a long time, cases in the area hadn’t been reported. This is a horrible virus that causes hemorrhagic fever and escalates quickly. Between two days and three weeks after contacting the virus symptoms begin to show with fever, sore throat, muscular pain, and headaches, before vomiting, diarrhea and rash come along. Liver and kidney functions decrease before internal and external bleeding begins. Up to 90% of those infected died from the virus, although the average stands at about 50%.
Nowadays, more and more people are cured. Studies have been carried by scientists and antibodies generated from the blood of Ebola survivors can neutralize the Ebola virus and protect the mice used for testing.
There’s also the problem that people who have already been deemed free of the Ebola virus have continuous health issues. People have returned to the hospital numerous times with an active virus in their system although they had already been cured. The reasons for this continue to baffle scientists. And now, let’s see what else we have in our list of biggest health problems in the world in 2016.
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9. Mental health for trauma survivors
Over the past year, there haven’t been many steps taken to better the way mental health is dealt with across the world. That’s mainly because in many areas taking care of your mental health is seen as taboo still, despite there being so many causes for mental issues. War, both when you’re a soldier and a victim, can leave deep scars. The same can be done by displacement, something that millions of people do every year from war areas, but also from countries where the political situation makes it impossible to stay. Domestic violence, bullying, natural disasters, traumas and more can all cause mental issues as well. Help is sometimes too far away, too expensive or too much of a taboo for some. Destigmatizing mental health is still something that needs to be accomplished.
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8. Health worker shortage
There’s a shortage of over 7.2 million healthcare workers in the world, according to the World Health Organization and the number will grow to nearly 13 million by 2035. The United Nations has kick-started a long-term plan to transform the world, including by increasing the number of healthcare workers and of hospitals. The plan is just getting started, however, so there’s a long way to go. Therefore, not much has changed over the past year in this regard. The World Health Organization also has a plan to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage until 2030, including by increasing the number of workers in the field.
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7. Air pollution
The issue of air pollution ranks 7th in our list of biggest health problems in the world in 2016. It is one that seems to have no solution. No matter how many times countries sign agreements to lower carbon dioxide emissions, nothing actually happens. It’s a shame, really, because this is the only planet we have, the only air we have left to breathe, and if we poison the world around us, we poison ourselves.
On September 28th the Global CO2 levels exceeded 400 PP2 at a time of year when levels are usually at a minimum. Such levels have only ever been reached in several spots around the world, but not as an overall score. This is terrible, and it will only go from bad to worse from here unless something is done.
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6. Emerging and waning health threats
While there was hope that this year would be the one when polio is eradicated, that hasn’t happened yet. The progress is there, however, and the cases are getting few and far between, so there’s still hope. The fight against HIV is also progressing quite nicely with new treatments being developed and tests being performed on patients so, with a bit of luck it should only go better from here on out.
On the other hand, there have been new Ebola flare-ups, albeit more tamed, and the Zika virus has made headlines throughout the year. The latter, however, has been slightly demoted by the World Health Organization as it is no longer considered a “global threat.” That does not mean that it’s not something serious and a virus they’re working to eradicate, but the waters have calmed down some.
5. Climate change
We are continuing our list of biggest health problems in the world in 2016 with the problem number 5 – there may be many voices in the world, some louder than others, that claim climate change is a hoax, but as long as a person that’s in the early 30s can remember a time when the climate they live in was much different, then we have a big problem. These aren’t changes that the world goes through in centuries, but rather a few mere decades, which should make everyone wonder just where we’re heading to. This isn’t just about the extreme weather phenomena taking place due to the changes in climate, but also about the health issues that we all can go through. Asthma, mental illness, cardiovascular diseases and more can be caused by the change in climate.
What has the world done over the past year to make things better? Well, in early November, the Paris Agreement went into effect. This is a worldwide pact to fight against global warming. “A historic day for the planet,” said French President Francois Hollande on November 4th as the pact became law. In order for the pact to take effect, at least 55 parties to the United Nation’s climate convention, responsible for over half the global greenhouse gas emissions, had to ratify it. In the end, 97 of the 197 UNFCCC signed the agreement, with more to do the same in the months and years to come.
The countries signing this agreement will look to fight climate change by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions considerably in the years to come in order to keep the global temperature rise this century below 2 degrees Celsius.
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4. Health system
While a good part of the world has access to quality healthcare, there are corners of the world where this isn’t a reality. The US government is one of the largest countries in the world, top economies, that doesn’t offer free or cheap healthcare for its people, although some efforts have been put towards implementing such programs. Similar measures seeking to improve the available healthcare are being taken in other corners of the world too, and the World Health Organization seeks to implement programs that will bring more healthcare workers to the industry so that people’s needs are properly met. And now, let’s see the top three biggest health problems in the world in 2016.
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3. Politics
Why are politics on a list of the 10 biggest health problems in the world in 2016? Well, that’s quite simple – without the proper policies there is no proper healthcare. That’s why the healthcare systems in many countries are crumbling, that’s why hospitals are lagging behind with updates, it’s why doctors in certain countries seek to emigrate rather than keep working for poor wages. Without proper policies, the people are at risk. The changes taking place at the White House, for instance, may affect tens of millions of Americans that has previously (finally) been able to afford coverage under Obamacare. President-elect Trump wants to scrap Obamacare either fully or in part, which will affect a lot of citizens.
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2. Wealth gap
This one on our list of biggest health problems in the world in 2016, is no surprise, really. People who have a lot of money can afford top of the line treatments and top of the line care from doctors. When some half of the world’s population works for barely any money at all, access to proper healthcare and treatment is limited to the extreme. Therefore, when we’re fighting for better healthcare, we should also fight for higher wages so that people can afford to go to the doctor and get the medicine they need. Such efforts are constantly being made, but the results are borderline invisible.
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1. The refugee crisis
Sure, the war scenes are a humanitarian crisis to begin with, but the refugee crisis is just as bad. Millions upon millions of people have fled their native countries seeking help, support and peace only to find themselves in a location where bombs don’t drop, but you’re not properly taken care of either.
There are over 60 million refugees now, many of whom live in camps with little amenities. Such places pose a large threat to people’s health and they are possible outbreak scenes should diseases find their way inside the camps. Health workers take care of refugees in such camps, but there are many other places, particularly war scenes, where they cannot take care of everyone and where the risks are even higher.
That being said, these were the 10 biggest health problems in the world in 2016.
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