Health Explanation:

Right now over 2 million childhood deaths occur annually due to vaccine-preventable diseases; 200 million children under the age of five still suffer from malnutrition; 120 million couples still lack options in family planning; and 30 percent of the world is still without access to safe water and sanitation systems. Good health and nutrition are essential for countries to break out of the cycle of poverty.

Over the past century society has made significant improvements in health, nutrition, and population effects. Some of the improvements have been due to education, access to contraceptives, hygiene, housing, clean water supplies and proper sanitation. They are also the result of new knowledge about the causes, prevention, and treatment of diseases.

However, disease patterns are rapidly changing as we enter the 21st century. Because of weak government implementation capacity and market imperfections in the private sector, potentially effective policies and programs often fail. Reforms to address the health of the poor often require redefining the role of the state, with greater government involvement in providing public health activities, securing access to essential health services for the poor, providing information, supporting research and development, medical education, and regulating the medical sector. They changes are hard fought and take time to occur.

Meanwhile, disease, exponential population growth need to be dealt with, and proper nutrition still needs to be realized for millions of people worldwide. Three billion people, half of the world’s population, still suffers from diseases and injuries which can be easily prevented or treated.

What are some of the improvements that have occurred to prevent health problems?

What do your parents do when you get sick?