By Karen Tang, General Member
This month’s theme for the YCRH’s social media and blogs surrounds the topic of Global Health. Here is a quick guide introducing the topic.
What is Global Health?
It is essential first to define Global Health. As the name implies, Global Health is about the health of humans worldwide.
How does Global Health impact me?
The main challenge with global health is to ensure that regardless of someone's physical location in the world, they can live their healthiest possible life. Global health threats can comprise of emerging diseases, disease outbreaks, environmental disasters, and the inaccessibility of healthcare. Furthermore, to improve Global health, we can aim to reduce inequities worldwide, combat preventable diseases, and ensure healthcare is accessible and inclusive for all.
Global health matters for everyone, regardless of your geophysical location. Consider the analogy of a garden when illustrating the importance of global health. In a garden, some plants have all the resources they need to stay healthy and grow—this includes sunlight, soil, and the right amount of water. However, other plants do not have the same resources in that same garden, putting them at greater risk of not thriving. As a result, the garden as a whole is more vulnerable.
As a global community, we all function together in a society. Furthermore, we are all human beings with a right to affordable and efficacious healthcare. If our global neighbours do not have access to the healthcare they need, society's overall health can be put at risk. Similarly, when everyone has access to health care, we are all better equipped to combat disease and promote greater well-being for all.
What are some examples of Global Health initiatives?
COVID-19 often comes to the forefront when discussing diseases and vaccine rollouts, given its global impact on the world as a pandemic. One of the most memorable global health initiatives of our generation will no doubt be the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine. Research from a study published in the Lancet indicates that during the first year of immunization (from December 2020 to December 2021), the high uptick in vaccinations prevented at least 14.4 to 19.8 million deaths globally. This statistic is based on data collected in 185 countries worldwide.
Although an impressive statistic, further deaths could have been prevented, particularly in “lower-income countries.” The authors report significant differences in the COVID-19 vaccination rates across regions and countries, highlighting a substantial difference in global health. In countries denoted as “high- and upper-middle-income countries”, the vaccination rates were higher than in “lower-income countries”, where the vaccination rate stands at under 5 percent (versus over 100% in some countries that vaccinated non-residents as well). Disparities in global health are still prevalent today, even in the recent case study of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another example is the eradication of smallpox worldwide. Smallpox was once an increasingly prevalent and deadly disease due to globalization. However, given the global concerted efforts of vaccination campaigns spearheaded by the World Health Organization, in 1980, the World Health Assembly officially declared the eradication of smallpox.
Next steps
After reading this, you understand what Global Health is, its importance, and why it matters to you! Keep an eye out on our YCRH social media and blogs this month as we discuss and continue raising awareness of global health issues.
Resources and further reading:
Statistics and an interactive map of COVID-19 vaccination rates: https://datatopics.worldbank.org/sdgatlas/goal-3-good-health-and-well-being?lang=en#c5
“Why should you care about global health? Episode 17 of "That's Public Health" video by the American Public Health Association: https://youtu.be/y6ENCgkgH_w?si=y5MvlS5kEbERIM-D
Smallpox by the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/index.html#:~:text=In%201980%2C%20the%20World%20Health,occurring%20smallpox%20have%20happened%20since.