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5 of the Most Crucial Public Health Issues

5-of-the-most-crucial-public-health-issuesWith seven billion people in the world, health care and health care infrastructure are increasingly important. Public health professionals are currently focusing on the following five topic areas to improve global health. By ensuring that everyone can have access to adequate care, the health care community can reduce premature mortality rates and the severity of epidemics.

1. Cancer

According to the largest cancer study ever, cancer is actually the leading cause of death in third world nations. It kills more people every year than malaria, HIV and tuberculosis combined. Low- and middle-income countries tend to lag behind in cancer care because this type of treatment is highly expensive to carry out. In nations like Uganda, there may be just one or two doctors trained to treat cancer specifically. Even in first world nations, cancer remains one of the leading causes of death.

2. Family Planning

Numerous studies show that unplanned pregnancies lead to higher health risks and increased infant mortality rates. A group known as FP2020 has been working to make family planning services available throughout the world. Through their efforts, they have avoided 77 million unplanned pregnancies in just three years. In the United States, a similar problem needs to be addressed. Although the costs and expenses associated with contraception are more accessible for the population, the locations are not. Having access to family planning services ensures that women can get the prenatal care they need for healthy pregnancies.

3. Mental Health

With so many diseases and medical conditions to take care of, mental health often takes last place on the list of priorities. Dementia, depression, post-traumatic stress and other disorders affect every country alike. While developing countries need to develop access to mental health care, developed nations will need to improve their current facilities. Most westernized nations are experiencing a gradual aging of their population. As the populations aid, mental health will need more mental health professionals in place to handle their care.

4. Infrastructure

As the recent Ebola outbreak showed, infrastructure is vital to ensuring quality care. With the increased globalization of society, health care responses must be coordinated properly to deal with epidemics. Although many epidemics are confined to developing nations for now, they can easily spread to other nations. Right now is the time to put emergency response measures and containment policies in place.

5. HIV

Due to the modern HIV cocktail of drugs, HIV-positive individuals can live for decades after their diagnosis. This has changed the perception in the public mind and transformed AIDS into a chronic illness. Despite the progress, there are still 35 million people around the world who are infected. Half of these individuals do not even realize that they have been infected yet. To prevent the spread of this disease and treat it, more health care dollars will need to be devoted to HIV research.

Over the coming year, these issues will continue to be important for public health. By dealing with these opportunity areas now, health care professionals can ensure a healthier population. New treatments, innovative research and state-of-the-art medicines are all just the beginning for future public health polices.

See also: 5 Up-and-Coming Careers in Public Health