WHO considers vaccination to be a primary intervention in the preventation of disease and promotion of wellbeing - Essay Example

? WHO Considers Vaccination to be a Primary Intervention in the Prevention of Disease and Promotion of Wellbeing Date: 1. Define the terms immunology and vaccination; Immunology refers to study of molecules, cells organs and systems, which facilitate identification and disposal of foreign materials. Immunology commences as a component of microbiology; in fact, this is a study of infections illnesses to which the human body responds to have a significant role in establishment of immunology (WHO, 2012). Apparently, immunology entails a concept of germ theory, which is related to a disease contributing to the field of immunology. On the other hand, vaccination involves biological measures, which are derived from living organisms (WHO, 2012). In this case, these measures are aimed at enhancing immunity against disease, prevent diseases through prophylactic vaccines, or offer treatment for illnesses through therapeutic vaccines (Hanekom, 2005, 21). These vaccines are in liquid form, which is injected, orally administered or through intranasal routes. Vaccines entail disease causing microorganism or components, which are administered into the human body. 2. Outline three Countries considered high risk for diseases transmission and the approx % persons travelling to these Countries each year (using WHO). The economic conditions in developing countries makes a third of the population, which is approximately 1.3 billion to live on low daily incomes that is below the poverty line of one dollar (WHO, 2012). There are other problems involving children malnourishment; in fact a fifth of these children are not immunized after a period of one year. Furthermore, 30% of the world’s population suffers due to inaccessibility to essential treatment (WHO, 2012). Therefore, there are numerous people living below the poverty line and this leads to increased negligence towards dangerous infectious diseases, and due this reason some diseases have gained ground (Pashine, Valiante & Ulmer, 2005, 63). There are nations whose citizens are suffering significantly suffered from consequences of neglecting these diseases (Burton and Murray, 2011, 164). In addition, this problem is aggravated by increasing mass population movement over the years. Some of the countries considered to have a high risk for diseases transmission by WHO include counties in located along the yellow fever belt of Africa and South America. Source: World Health Organization (WHO) WHO (2012) argues that there has been increasing number of planes travelling to and from these places with airline passengers. For instance number of passengers travelling has increased from 2 million since 1950 to over 1.4 billion in the present days among counties in located along the yellow fever belt of Africa and South America (WHO, 2012). Therefore, this makes transmission of illnesses to be in a matter of hours. Numbers of air travel have increased, thereby leading to increased chances of people transporting diseases from continents from one country to the other in few hours. In this case, this poses a threat of deadly diseases to different countries. This has led to recommendations made by World Health Organization (WHO, 2012, 204), indicating that vaccinations are supposed to be administered routinely to infants. In fact, World Health Organization (WHO, 2012, 204) argues that infants, who live in these locations, should be vaccinated and other people who are planning to travel to these countries. These countries have been regarded to be in highly risk situation posed yellow fever due to is viral nature associated with haemorrhagic disease and increased fatality rate. On the other hand, the recognition of the implications of the public health has increasingly dwindled over the years. For instance, there were cases of Ebola reported in 1996, whereby health workers were infected by patients who had visited the country to seek medical services after an outbreak in Gabon. There are initiatives that have been established in South African government through WHO to install screening systems for airline passengers, who are travelling from other countries of Africa. WHO cites another case that occurred in 1977, whereby over seventy percent of passengers were grounded for an hours in America due case of infection by influenza among passengers. There are other reported cases of transmissions involving poliovirus, which were reported in Canada; in fact, this case involved passengers that travelled from Europe in 1978 and resurgence in 1992 (WHO, 1998, 43). Since this incidence, eleven people were reported to be infected with polio paralysis during this outbreak, and this led to a decision to immunize the others. There were other cases reported in 1996, where travelers from America and Switzerland, contracted yellow fever in Africa since they had not been vaccinated against the disease. 3. Discuss the major health concerns for these Countries and the mode of transmission of the illness. Hepatitis A is a viral illness, which poses significant complications functionality of human liver; in fact, it spreads via consumption of food or water, which is contaminated with fecal matter. On the other hand, Hepatitis E is a water-borne viral infection and it also causes the functionality of liver and it is also contaminated through water. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is an illness which transmitted through ticks from infected animals; this disease has been distributed in countries in Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Eastern Europe. The other illness is Japanese Encephalitis is transmitted through mosquito referred to as Culex tritaeniorhynchus, and this viral disease has been related to rural areas in areas such as Asia. The other illness is Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, whose caustic agent is parasitic protozoa leishmania and it is transmitted through bites of sandflies; in fact, it is endemic has occurred in 88 countries, which include Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Peru (NSW Department of Health, 2011, 204). The other illness is a plague, which is transmitted through fleas that are related to rats; persons-to-persons airborne; cases of plague have been reported in areas such as Asia, Africa, and South America, especially in rural places and small towns and villages. Meningococcal meningitis is an infection which is involves bacterial illness that results to inflammation of the lining of the brain; in fact, this illness is involves significant bacterial pathogens in Neisseria meningitides and it has a potential of being an epidemic. This illness is profound in countries in Saharan Africa, which are referred to as "Meningitis Belt", which covers Senegal to Ethiopia (NSW Department of Health, 2011, 204). 4. Discuss 5 vaccine-preventable diseases (using WHO) and the efficacy of the vaccine (i.e. how effective is the vaccine). There are vaccines, which have been marketed in the global market such as meningococcal polysaccharide that are considered bivalent (A and C), trivalent (A, C and W-135) or tetravalent (A, C, Y and W-135). Bivalent vaccines, which include A and C after a dose, they are have been documented echelons of short term efficacy between 85-100% among older children and adults. There is another group of C vaccines that have inability to prevent diseases among children under the age of two years (Weller, Reynaud, Weill, 2005, 212). Therefore, the efficacy of group a vaccines among children under the age of one year is indistinct; in addition, there are single dose of mumps vaccines that involve single antigen in combination. In this case, this involves protective efficacy of 90-96%; in fact, the clinical efficacy of rotavirus vaccines, which is illustrated in various regions around the world. 5. Choose 3 infectious illnesses and discuss other preventative measures individuals can apply to avoid contracting specific infections (Hep A, Hep B, yellow fever, Malaria etc) aside from vaccinations. Malaria is preventable and treatable; in fact, the objective is treating this illness of ensuring that Plasmodium has been entirely eliminated from the blood of the patient (CDC, 2013, 3). Therefore, this involves administering of medications of ant malaria drugs, and this leads achievement of treatment objectives (Tse, 2013, 1). Hepatitis B and C are treated using antiviral medication, which include pegylated interferon (peginterferon) that is administered through injection (Chen and Gluud, 2005, 32). Hepatitis B and C can also be treated through antiviral, which include lamivudine for treating hepatitis B and ribavirin treating hepatitis C (Chen and Gluud, 2005, 32). 6. Outline the current health promotion strategies to promote vaccination to people travelling to high risk areas (e.g. government initiative etc.) Government initiatives involve efforts to promote strategies to vaccinate individuals traveling to high risk areas even if they exceed the recommended age. On the other hand, these initiatives are aimed at ensuring there are not chances of missing vaccination. Some of the measures involved in ensuring that people travelling to high risk areas has been vaccinated is ensuring that their vaccination records have been assessed and brought up to date. People should be informed that there are no limits regarding the number of vaccines at a specific time. The government ensures that the immunization offered people who are travelling is up to date and ensuring education material is accessible to them. The government focuses on establishing initiatives to offer advice of referring patients to specialists in situation where they are not vaccinated. These initiatives encouragers active follow up for people who are not immunized; for instance, their records can be reviewed. 7. Outline the role of the PHC practitioners in the relation to travel vaccinations education in the context of Australia. Primary Health Care practitioners play a significant part in the process of facilitating travel vaccinations in Australia (Australia Government, 2011, 1). In this case, these practitioners take a vital role of offering pre-vaccination counseling and establish relevant methods of administering vaccinations. Primary Health Care practitioners take the roles of devising ways of gathering vaccinations and methods aimed at facilitating appropriate transportation. They should also establish a substantial relationship between the immune systems and actions of vaccines (Australia Government, 2011, 1). These practitioners have the role of implementing principles of travel vaccinations and relevant travel health advice. Nevertheless, they should ensure that all regulations are significantly observed and nurses should take relevant responsibilities (Australia Government, 2011, 3). Lastly, these practitioners should focus on exploring issues associated with vaccination based risk and developed vaccination policy and programs. Reference Australia Government. (2011). Improving Primary Health Care for All Australians. Commonwealth of Australia, National Health Reforms, Retrieved on 2 September 2013 from:http://www.healthissuescentre.org.au/documents/items/2011/02/363952-upload-00001.pdf Burton L, and Murray C. (2011). Introducing a new sexually transmissible infections contact tracing resource for use in NSW general practice. N S W Public Health Bull; 22: 164. Chen W. and Gluud C. (2005). Vaccines for preventing hepatitis B in health-care workers. Cochrane Database Syst Rev: CD000100. CDC. (2013). Treatment of Malaria (Guidelines for Clinicians). Treatment Guidelines. Retrieved on 2 September 2013 from: http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/resources/pdf/clinicalguidance.pdf Hanekom WA. (2005). The Immune Response to BCG Vaccination of Newborns. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1062:69–78 NSW Department of Health. (2011).Year in review: health protection in NSW, 2010, NSW Public Health Bulletin, Vol. 22(7–8) Pashine A, Valiante NM, & Ulmer JB. (2005). Targeting the innate immune response with improved vaccine adjuvants. Nat Med 11:S63–S68 Tse I. (2013). Hepatitis: Symptoms and Treatment. LiveScience. Retrieved on 2 September 2013 from:http://www.livescience.com/34735-hepatitis-symptoms-treatment.html WHO. (1998). Vaccine-preventable diseases and vaccines: Chapter 6. Retrieved from 9 September 2013 from: http://www.who.int/ith/chapters/ith2012en_chap6.pdf WHO. (2012). Country list: Yellow fever vaccination requirements and recommendations; and malaria situation. Retrieved from 9 September 2013 from: http://www.who.int/ith/chapters/ith2012en_countrylist.pdf WHO. (1999). Removing Obstacles to Healthy Development. World Health Organization Report on Infectious Diseases. Retrieved from 9 September 2013 from: http://www.who.int/infectious-disease-report/pages/textonly.html Weller S, Reynaud CA, Weill JC. (2005). Vaccination against encapsulated bacteria in humans: paradoxes. Trends Immunol 26:85–89 Read More