Chronic or infectious diseases
Select one of the chronic or infectious diseases from the list provided to be the focus of your research. You will write a disease brief on your selected disease.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
I. Overview: In this section, you will introduce the disease you selected, including an overview of its current impact on public health.
A. Level of Public Health Issue: Describe the disease selected and the impact it has on public health. In other words, is this a current public health issue, one that may become a major issue, or one that was a public health issue in the past?
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II. Etiology: In this section, you will research the selected disease and analyze its etiology. Remember to use APA formatting for your citations.
A. Disease Progression: Based on your research, describe how the disease develops in the human body. Consider how the disease starts as well as
the process the disease goes through as it progresses.
B. Risk Factors: Explain the major risk factors for contracting or developing this disease, using your research as support.
Sample Solution
A. Level of Public Health Issue: Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects millions of people worldwide and continues to be a major public health issue across the globe. It is estimated that 214 million cases of malaria occurred in 2019, resulting in 435,000 deaths from this deadly disease, mostly among African children under five years old.
I. Overview:
A. Level of Public Health Issue: Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects millions of people worldwide and continues to be a major public health issue across the globe. It is estimated that 214 million cases of malaria occurred in 2019, resulting in 435,000 deaths from this deadly disease, mostly among African children under five years old. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it one of the most urgent global health challenges due to its high prevalence and severity in many parts of the world.
II. Etiology:
A. Disease Progression: Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites which are transmitted through the bites of infected Anopheles mosquitoes which have previously taken a blood meal from an infected person or animal host. Once inside their human host, these parasites travel to the liver where they mature and reproduce before entering the bloodstream where they infect red blood cells causing fever, chills and flu-like symptoms such as headaches, body aches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. In severe cases malaria can lead to anaemia, seizures coma or even death if left untreated for too long.
B. Risk Factors: People living in regions with malaria transmission are at risk for contracting this disease; however certain people may be more likely than others depending on various factors such as age (children below 5 years old are especially vulnerable), genetics (people with sickle cell trait or other inherited conditions may be more susceptible), immunological status (HIV/AIDS patients may have weakened immune systems making them easier targets), environmental exposures (living near areas with greater amounts of standing water increases chances) etc… Other risk factors include poverty level since those living in impoverished countries lack access to preventive measures like insecticide treated bed nets or indoor residual spraying programs making them more vulnerable).