Epidemics In America - Essay Example

Epidemics In America When Germs Travel In his book "When Germs Travel", Howard Markel talks about six major epidemics that had victimized America. It is his insight on the six major epidemics that aroused fear and social conflict all over the country. The book is set against the backdrop of the 19th century. It talks about a multitude of infectious diseases that had plagued the country back then. The six main diseases covered by the book include tuberculosis, bubonic plague, trachoma, typhus, AIDS, and cholera. The market provides a very comprehensive account of each of the aforementioned diseases in his books. He talks in detail about each of the 6 diseases all the way from their origin to their characteristics, their effects, their symptoms and their treatment. He also provides insight to the reader through personal stories from health officials and the general American public. He narrates experiences of people from Alejandro, of an illegal alien from Ecuador, Abdul, and an Ethiopian native. These experiences substantiate the unpredictability of tuberculosis till today and the kind of stigma it surrounds. The author also throws light on the 1900 panic wave in San-Francisco when Chick Gin died of bubonic plague. Following his death, Chinatown was subjected to full-scale quarantine, Chinese property was burnt and compulsory vaccines were enforced. Similarly, in 1916 there were typhus riots on the Texas-Mexico border. As a result of these riots, illegal immigration from the country rose to no ends. Another HIV victim, Tomas was detained at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. The incident puts American commitment to protecting itself from AIDs epidemic into perspective. In the last segment of the book, Markel puts his personal experience into words. He spoke of cholera outbreaks in Rwanda and how he saw the diseases in the refugees. There is also an epilogue right in the end. In the epilogue, the author sums up his views regarding health and how it must be safeguarded especially in today's increasingly global world. (Markel) Biological concepts discussed by the book: Merkel discusses the six epidemics in light of their biological context, their discovery, their distribution, their spread and their prevention of control. Most of the diseases discussed were due to viruses and bacteria. As discussed in the course, a virus is an a-cellular micro-organism. The book elaborates on it. The virus can only reproduce inside living cells where it multiplies. Aids happen due to a virus called HIV. This virus belongs to a virus class known as the retrovirus. Retroviruses are a type of viruses that are made of the RNA or the ribonucleic acid. The RNA makes up for the genetic composition of the retroviruses. HIV first infects the cell. Once the cell has been infected, HIV uses reverse transcriptase to transform RNA into DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid. The DNA keeps on replicating itself by making use of the cell and its machinery. Merkel also spoke about why symptoms of AID take time to show in humans. This is because HIV is a slow virus. The subgroup of viruses that it belongs to is known lent viruses or slow viruses. Merkel like-wise elaborates on the biological background of tuberculosis. The concept has also been discussed in class. This disease is caused by a mycobacterium. Mycobacterium was the primary causative agent of tuberculosis back then. Another bacteria called vibrio cholera is the primary causative agent of cholera. Back then there were no advance medical facilities to deal with these diseases, hence the results of the outbreak used to be even more drastic and worse? Markel’s explains, rather elaborately six major infectious diseases i.e. tuberculosis plague, typhus, cholera, AIDS and bubonic plague. Most of the epidemics were due to bacteria. Typhus was caused by a bacterium called Rickettsia. The prevalent of epidemics due to bacteria was particularly emphasized.Merkel makes special reference to Koch's postulate for disease causation in his book. The pathogen is present in all cases of the disease and absent from healthy persons. He also discussed the futility of the rationale behind the mindsets of health officials back then. He explains why merely denying entry to disease exporters from other countries never really worked. Merkel threw a lot of insight into each of the six mentioned diseases. Peculiarly alarming and spectacular was his account of AIDs epidemic. What I learned from the book: I learned a lot from this book. There was a lot of useful insight into the 6 most frequently encountered infectious diseases. Merkel's selection of these six diseases was purposeful in driving to light the vulnerability of American public health system and the threat of the spread of these diseases via global travel. I learned of various issues surrounding tuberculosis, typhus, cholera and bubonic plague. The author also illuminated me with health concerns associated with this disease and the kind of panic they stirred when they broke out leading to inevitable political action. I learned about the impact of these diseases on the victims through Merkel's narrative about their personal encounters. The incidents on Mexican border due to break out of typhus was particularly alarming and astonishing. Their overall impact on international politics was big and bad. U.S health officials found themselves in the midst of the worst form of international politics. Given the obvious fear of the disease, they resorted to some extreme measures. They wanted the Mexican workers making their way into Texas "deloused" every day. But they did not have the resources and facilities to do this and found it inappropriate to use the Mexican facilities. In this bid, kerosene, gasoline, and vinegar were used and the results that it led to were disastrous when someone tried to light a cigarette. Thus this book enlightened me of these events. Merkel also explored AIDS in lieu of the eyes of Haitians. I learned of the panic and fear in Haiti through Merkel's personal stories. He also spoke of the bubonic plague and opened the annals of history of San Francisco's Chinatown with regards to this plague. It was closed after the fear of plague broke out. Then there was also this fear of the eye disease trachoma in America at that time. The fear of the diseases prevented them from entering America. It was interesting the way Merkel wrote of the odd twists that earmarked and governed public reaction in most cases. For instance, in the case of Chinatown quarantine, Chinese immigrants were stopped from leaving whereas citizens visiting Chinatown did not find them being restricted. They were allowed to roam around freely which led people to the conclusion that the quarantine was there to prevent harm for striking non-Chinese businesses. Relevance to current affairs: The gist of Merkel's account on government reaction was how visceral reactions in most cases, govern public policy. Merkel tries to drive home the point that traditional reaction to most epidemics is fatally flawed in today's world. This is because we are under the impression, that this kind of reaction will segregate and quarantine diseases. He calls the people of the globe as unanimous members of a global "Hot Zone". This means even if some areas of the world are more affected with the diseases, resorting to old-fashioned ways such as denying them admission to the country is by no means the answer. Modes of communication and transport have evolved over the years. Even if you deny the disease carriers entry, the disease can still leap across the continents within hours. Merkel gives other concrete suggestions to deal with such complicated problems. He recommends the development of a global health program which is designed specially to counter the disease. His recommendations drew a lot of controversies but it cannot be that they are healthy and a more a realistic approach to solving problems. While it is very difficult to construct something like this practically, the impact, if implemented, will be far-reaching. Conclusion: Nonetheless, Merkel's book is a very impactful and compelling account of infectious diseases and a man's tango with these diseases. It makes the reader learn the futility in actions such as complete eradication of visitors. It is not a practical move and cannot be one. His book has had far-reaching repercussions given the state of healthcare systems today. The healthcare systems in today's world are highly in demand and extraordinarily advanced technology for the clinical practices. Due to increasing disease transmittals and pollution there is a number of the case concerning healthcare like injuries, disabilities, disorders, syndromes, and infections etc. The book is an intriguing account and keeps one engrossed through-out the course of its description of the 6 vignettes. Additional fore-sight and research into the epidemics should help policymakers minimize harm as much as they can as they go on to address future pandemics. Works Cited Markel, Howard. When Germs Travel. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2005. Andrews, Molly. "Narrative complexity of successfull aging." International Journal of sociology and social policy (2009): 500. Browne, Bliss W. "Liberating imagination about aging." Research paper (2003): 300. hearing loss and aging. 2009. Read More