Running Head: DISEASE AND POVERTY

Addressing Global Challenges: Disease and Poverty

David Lobo & Madelyn Ochoa
International College of the Cayman Islands

Instructor: Odale Mulgrave

Class: World Civilization HU-104

DISEASE AND POVERTY

Introduction
Despite the progress that has been made by mankind, a number of major challenges still
exist. Such challenges have made it harder for the human race to realize equality on the global
scale. There is the need to note that the gapping differences between developed and developing
nations affect the progress towards a society that lacks as many challenges as those witnessed
today. It is worth noting that these challenges come as a result of many factors including
economic development, technological advancement and many other essentials (Walraven, 2013).
These are factors that determine the ability of nations and their societies to curb problems that
hinder development. Many nations have been able to deal with their challenges to a significant
extent while others are still lagging behind due to the differences in approaches used to solve
such challenges to mankinds progress. This paper focuses on the challenges facing nations
around the world and the measures that societies and their governments could take to react to
those challenges.
To be more precise, this paper looks into disease and poverty, two of the most important
challenges facing the world today. It is worth noting that disease and poverty are interconnected
in many ways. In addition to this, the two challenges have pummeled human civilizations for
many centuries. Even up to now, the human race is still fighting disease and poverty on many
battlefronts (Bing & Epstein, 2013). Many lives have been lost and a lot of resources diminished
in the process of finding a lasting solution to the turmoil created by poverty and disease in many
parts of the world today. This paper recommends a stepwise approach in dealing with disease and
poverty for countries affected in various parts of the world. The stepwise approach involves both
the governments and their citizens. It is worth noting that the approaches taken to deal with
disease and poverty cut across more than one realm as many things are involved when providing

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public services and implementing problem-solving strategies. They include funding and the
implementation of new policies, some of which might require public consent even through a
popular vote. It is this papers plan to provide a solution that can be used in the future when it
comes to dealing with disease and poverty. On the application of this strategy, governments and
their citizens will be capable of averting the losses that come with ill-preparedness towards the
challenges of poverty and disease.
Background
The fight against economic inequalities and disease has been on for many years, in many
parts of the world (Franco, 2009). However, it is worth noting that the fight for equality has only
gained momentum over the recent years. Many families around the world are still faced with the
risk of poverty and all the problems that come with it. Millions of people around the world still
live below the poverty line and the future seems uncertain regarding the reduction of poverty in
many countries, especially in the Third World. Many economies in this part of the world are still
unable to fend for their citizens, thus exposing them to many challenges including lack of quality
housing, food, clothing and education, among other things. It is due to this lack of basic needs
that poverty connects with disease (Ehiri 2009). The problem of disease outbreaks has increased
with the inability of people to access quality medical services, as well as the inability of
governments to access medicine and equipment for their citizens. This is also the case with the
inability of some governments to fund medical research that could have led to the acquisition of
remedies to diseases.
Global Challenge of Poverty
The definition of poverty on the global scale has not been easy to agree upon, amongst
researchers (Sachs, 2011). This difference is due to the fact that poverty touches on a number of

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factors ranging from basic needs such as food, clothing and housing. Poverty is thus described as
the lack of these basic needs that differ according to the situation in which they are described or
rather the economy of a given nation. The Word Bank is a leading source of information
regarding poverty and its levels in many parts of the world today (Banerjee & Duflo 2012). The
institution is also responsible for providing funding to areas and countries that it finds in dire
need of support to fight poverty. The focus has been on enhancement of the quality of life in the
targeted areas, including increased access to education, medical care, food, clothing and housing.
It is worth noting that such areas are in the poorly developed regions of the world including SubSaharan Africa and the Latin America.
Perhaps the most commonly used definition of poverty is the financial expenditure floor
of 1.9 US dollar (Ortiz-Ospina & Roser, 2016). According to this definition, people living on less
than 1.9 US dollars are defined as those living in extreme poverty. They have no access to many
basic needs as they cannot afford good food, decent clothing, housing, healthcare and education,
amongst many other important things. According to reports by the World Bank, over 700 million
people lived below this poverty line in the year 2013. However, this was a drop from about 800
million people that were classified as extremely poor in the year 2012. The World Bank has
reported that the poverty levels have been reducing over the years, a sign that the world economy
is improving as well. This means that more people are capable of accessing the most basic
human needs, apart from those able to access the luxury needs around the world today. This is
evident with the increasing economic development among third world countries as evident in
Figure 1.

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Figure 1: Poverty Gap. Source: Ortiz-Ospina & Roser 2016

Global Challenge of Disease
The challenge of poverty brings with it the problem of disease control around the world.
It is worth noting that disease usually spreads according to susceptibility to the same. It is worth
noting that some diseases including malnutrition, malaria, typhoid, cholera and many others have
a direct connection to poverty. Access to clean water and a clean environment including sewage
systems and a pollution free environment would determine the susceptibility of people to disease.
According to recent research, it is worth noting that people living in extreme poverty have a
lower life expectancy than those living in better income areas or countries. As such, countries in
the third world have been known to have a lower life expectancy than those living in the more
developed. Some of the most extensively challenging diseases include HIV/AIDS and Malaria,
which are tropical diseases that have led to more deaths than other health problems like cancer
and lifestyle diseases (Bing & Epstein, 2013). It is necessary to note that most of the diseases

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affecting the globe extensively are tropical, and they cover the portion of the world with the
highest number of poor people.
Such factors as access to medical facilities in poor countries usually aggravate the
problem of disease and its spread (Labarthe, 2010). In most developing countries, there are few
medical facilities and many of those that are available are usually far-flung or hard to reach due
to poor transport systems including poor roads. The time taken to access medical facilities has a
factor in determining the mortality rates related to various diseases. According to research, many
people in the developing world die due to the challenge of accessing medical facilities in good
time. This is yet another connection between disease spread and mortality and poverty levels. It
is also worth noting that illiteracy and lack of awareness regarding disease causes, symptoms and
their spread also lead to high mortality rates (Bing & Epstein, 2013). The lack of education in
many parts of the world has been connected to poverty due to inability to afford quality
education. One of the major ways to deal with the spread of disease is by ensuring that people
are well educated and told about health issues regarding diseases that have the potential to spread
and cause fatalities.
It is also worth noting that the cost of medical care has been on the rise over the recent
years. The spread of diseases that are expensive to diagnose and treat such as cancer and heart
complications has also created a major challenge when it comes to disease control. The cost of
dealing with these diseases affects people from the third world and developed countries. It is
worth noting that poverty is not only available in the developing countries but also the developed
nations. This means that many people around the world cannot afford quality healthcare. As
such, the rate of mortality in emerging diseases is high, a factor that threatens economies around
the world today. Due to this threat, it is necessary to have remedies to curb the effects of disease

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on the economically disadvantaged, on the global scene. It is also worth noting that disease itself
causes poverty. This is through its ability to prevent the capacity of individuals to afford
healthcare.
Remedies to Global Disease and Poverty
A number of approaches for dealing with the global threat of disease and poverty are
available. They are strategies that connect both challenges in a way that ensures they
complement one another. The following steps would be ideal in dealing with the challenges
brought about by disease and poverty:
Strategic Government Policies
The first step to take in this case would be the introduction of government policies that
are aimed at disease and poverty alleviation. For instance, the introduction of policies on disease
control and response would be ideal when it comes to dealing with medical care. For instance,
only government policies will make it possible for funding to be utilized to fight diseases and
poverty, as well as research on the possible solutions for the noted challenges. In addition to this,
the creation of awareness requires legal backing, which can always be provided through strategic
laws developed by legislatures in the affected countries or regions. Besides, most governments
will get into agreements due to the availability of legal measures, as well as the will by
legislatures to enter into international cooperation to fight against poverty and disease. Most of
the solutions that are available for disease and poverty alleviation require legal backing, and this
is why government policy creation and implementation ought to be the first step to follow.
Education and Awareness Creation
It is worth appreciating the fact that education and literacy plays a major role in
dealing with the two problems of disease and poverty. For instance, when it comes to dealing

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with disease, it is needful for people to be educated regarding health risk factors for them to avert
disease causing factors as well as activities. It is only via education that people are capable of
understanding diseases, their causes and the approaches that can be used to avert them or
recognize symptoms and report them at the right time. These are the approaches that would make
it possible for people to stay safe from fatal health risks. On the other hand, education also plays
a major role in dealing with poverty. This is because education provides a platform for people to
be employed and be able to afford a decent livelihood. Many people have been left out of
economic development due to their inability to quality for decent jobs that can make them afford
decent pay. Apart from accessing employment, people that are educated are usually capable of
developing themselves economically through startups and other economic activities.
Infrastructure Development
Infrastructural development is not an option when it comes to dealing with disease and
poverty. For instance, when curbing disease, there is the need to have medical facilities and roads
to access them, as well as reliable communication infrastructure. It is also necessary to have
pollution control infrastructure including waste disposal and sewage systems that help keep the
environment clean and safe for human dwelling. This ensures that the chances of disease
spreading are as low as possible. In terms of poverty, infrastructure development to enhance
economic development would make it possible for people to carry out economic activities that
would enable them to alleviate poverty. For instance, the availability of banking systems, banks
and financial institutions, schools and training institutes, are among the necessary infrastructure
that could help people out of poverty.

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Conclusion
Disease and poverty are major issues facing the global economy today. It is worth noting
that many economies have not been able to develop due to the retrogressing forces of disease and
poverty. Many people have died due to the effects of poverty and their inability to access quality
food, water and medical care, as well as housing, apart from living in a clean environment. The
connection between disease and poverty is evident in many cases. Disease can cause poverty
while the latter can also cause the former. Citizens can enhance the fight against disease and
poverty through accessing education and taking part in economic development in a way that
would make it possible for governments to implement strategies that would help alleviate disease
and poverty.

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References
Banerjee, A. V., & Duflo, E. (2011). Poor economics: A radical rethinking of the way to fight
global poverty. (Poor economics.) New York: PublicAffairs
Bing, E. G., & Epstein, M. J. (2013). Pharmacy on a bicycle: Innovative solutions to global
health and poverty. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Ehiri, J. (2009). Maternal and child health: Global challenges, programs, and policies. New York:
Springer-Verlag
Franco, D. A. (2009). Poverty: And the continuing global health crisis. Mustang, OK: Tate
Publishing and Enterprises.
Labarthe, D. (2011). Epidemiology and prevention of cardiovascular diseases: A global
challenge. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Ortiz-Ospina, E., & Roser, M. (2016). World Poverty. Retrieved from:
https://ourworldindata.org/world-poverty/
Sachs, J. (2011). The end of poverty: How we can make it happen in our lifetime. New York:
Penguin Press.
Walraven, G. (2013). Health and Poverty: Global Health Problems and Solutions. New York, NY,
Taylor & Francis